


Swingin' on the Vegas Strip

by SpencnerTibbsLuvr (KliqzAngel)



Series: Evil Author Day 2021 [4]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds, NCIS
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Character Bashing, Character Death is Gibbs, EAD 2021, Grief/Mourning, Mental Illness and Made Up Mental Illness, S&G Themes, abandoned work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 54,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29449407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KliqzAngel/pseuds/SpencnerTibbsLuvr
Summary: In a world where Sentinels and Guides are commonplace, Tony's always been labeled "Undetermined". When he's brought back from his Agent Afloat position, a friendly question makes him wonder what he’s doing. In the end, he accepts the Vegas Crime Lab night shift lead position. He's shocked when the sight of the returning S&G pair sends his world into an explosion of sensations and feelings.Nick and Greg are equally shocked when they feel a pull they never expected to feel again. After all, you can only have one Sentinel or Guide, right?
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Nick Stokes/Greg Sanders, Prior-Gibbs/Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid, Various other relationships
Series: Evil Author Day 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163105
Comments: 9
Kudos: 91





	Swingin' on the Vegas Strip

**Author's Note:**

> Major Character Death is for Gibbs. He dies in the first part. Its a portion of the reason I was never able to finish this. I tried.... for a long time, but as much as Gibbs pisses me off I just didn't have the heart to put the time into this w his death. Eventually, the plot got too complex, which was another reason it is abandoned.

The below work is an offering for Evil Author Day 2021. These stories are incomplete, and very much rough drafts. There will be spelling errors, missing commas, bad grammar, incomplete thoughts, and plot holes to name only a few issues. The theme this year is stories I have given up on. I don't foresee anything new ever being done with any of these fics. Do NOT bug for more, beg for details, or any other such nonsense, please and thank you.

# Prologue: Death and Leaving

Aaron Hotchner and Spencer Reid stepped out of the FBI building in Quantico, VA. Spencer was smiling up at one of his two sentinels. They were always both Sentinels in his mind. He never thought of Aaron with his true title. They’d all three agreed the day they’d bonded that the secret of what Aaron really was would be a secret. Gibbs had been immediately worried about what people would do with the information, and Aaron had agreed. Because of it, they’d lived their lives without the close contact most bonded pairs enjoyed.

Oh, Aaron and Spencer got to see as much of each other as they’d like. Gibbs however still kept his own residence, and only told very few about his bonding. The oldest of the three of them claimed that there was someone close to him that he could use as a Guide when needed. He'd refused to explain further, though, and Aaron suggested they let it go. Because he trusted his boss and mate, he'd let it go for the moment. Spencer hoped daily that things would change and his family could finally be whole, though.

Unfortunately, that would never come to be for the three of them. Spencer was looking at Hotch, laughing at a story the older man was telling from the budget meeting he’d attended that day. There was nothing that felt out of the ordinary for him, but abruptly, Aaron stopped and started to move Spencer behind him. Before the genius could even take a step, though, there was a shot. One second Aaron was alive and happy, and the next minute his blood was all over him.

He had no idea he was screaming, crying, begging for his boss and mate. He couldn't feel the warmth of hid hands as they covered the wound. He could hear people around him shouting. He could feel someone trying to separate him from Aaron, but he wasn’t giving him up. Bodies were surrounding him. Emotions were battering at his now fragile shields. All he could do was scream and cry and beg. All he wanted was to go back, five minutes and find a new ending. Unfortunately, his pain wasn’t even close to being over.

172 miles away at the Navy Yard in DC, Tony DiNozzo was chasing his boss across the parking lot. They were arguing over what had happened on Tony’s protection detail assignment for Director Shepard. Gibbs kept insisting that he wasn’t mad at Tony, and he didn’t blame him for her death. Tony though didn’t believe him. Granted Gibbs’ was extremely hard to read ever since he returned from his amnesia. Tony knew the older man had come online during the blast that temporarily cost him his memory.

When his boss had returned to work, though, it was as if someone had taken possession of his body. Gibbs’ already intense hard driving need for justice seemed to only be amplified. Prior to the accident, he’d been a hard-driving boss who had been hard to please, but willing to dish out praise when earned. He was the kind of boss that Tony loved to work for and had been willing to lay down his life for without question. Afterward, though it seemed as if Tony couldn’t do anything right.

Everything he did was wrong.

Supposedly the man had bonded while he was gone, but Tony had never seen either of his mates. He knew their names. He knew what they looked like because he’d done a little investigative work and researched Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner and SSA Dr. Spencer Reid. He’d never met them, though, and he knew for a fact that Gibbs still lived alone. He also knew that the older man spent most nights alone in his house. Tony was not only baffled but scared for his friend.

Despite the almost abusive conditions he sometimes worked under, he did count Gibbs as a friend. He had enough faith in the man to know these changes wouldn’t happen without cause. Something had happened. Something seriously dangerous had happened. This Gibbs was a man protecting his family. Tony just wished he knew how he knew that and what he was protecting him from.

Tony was just about to launch into another avenue to try and get Gibbs to open up to him when his boss stopped in his track. Confused, Tony stopped and turned just in time to see all of the color leave the older man’s face. When his knees buckled, Tony took a step toward him in case he fell. He heard the older man shout, “Aaron! Spencer!” and then saw his head turn to look off somewhere outside the yard. “Tony!”

His name would be the last thing Gibbs would speak. For the second time in his career, Tony had a coworker’s blood splattered over his face.

Seven months later, Tony was sitting down in the basement of his former boss’ home studying a wood plane that Gibbs had left on the bench. He’d been back on dry land for only a few hours and had come straight there as soon as he got off the ship. Director Vance had sent Tony away the second he’d laid eyes on him after Gibbs’ murder. He said that he knew Tony wouldn’t stay out of the investigation, and he was absolutely not allowed to be involved.

Somehow the team, or former team as it were, had taken the assignment as if Tony had requested it. For eight weeks straight, he’d gotten daily scathing emails from Abby and Ziva screaming about how he’d let Gibbs down by following orders. He’d received not so passively aggressive ones from McGee who was pissed off that he had not only not been immediately made Team Leader of MCRT, but he wasn’t even made Senior Field Agent status. Instead, Vance had sent him back to Cyber Division and didn’t seem inclined to move him back anytime soon.

After eight weeks of constant abuse from his former team, Tony had forwarded every one of the correspondences to the Director, HR, and Internal Affairs then immediately blocked the email addresses of the terrible trio. He had a meeting early in the morning with Vance, but Tony was less than enthused about it. The only thing that he really wanted to do at that moment, was sit in the basement and mope. It felt like no one in his world cared about what Tony had suffered through. Didn’t it occur to any of them that just maybe Tony was having trouble dealing with a second teammate’s blood sprayed over his face? Apparently not.

“I should have known that you were here. What the hell are you doing here, DiNozzo?”

Tony’s head snapped up to see Tobias Fornell standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Where else would I go? This is the only home I have.”

Tony had been surprised to hear that Gibbs had left him the house. He’d expected that it would be given to his mates. While Aaron Hotchner had been shot and killed, or so they said, on the same day, Dr. Spencer Reid was still alive from what Tony could find out. The DiNozzo Network ran slower when Tony was surrounded by miles of water, but the best he’d been able to gather was “he’d been sent home to Vegas to live with his mother”. A very oddly worded sentence that Tony was still trying to dissect.

Tony turned his attention back to the wood plane and heard Tobias sigh. He heard his footsteps as he crossed the short distance to the work bench. Lifting his eyes, Tony brought the object closer to his body knowing he was being slightly irrational, but he didn’t want it taken from him. Instead, the older man just rested his hip against the side of the bench and looked at him.

“I don’t mean the house, Tony. I can guess why you’re here. I know you sold your apartment at a loss when you got shipped off. When I heard that you had returned from your assignment today, I figured this is where you’d come. I tried to meet you when the ship docked, but I got hung up in the office.”

Tony frowned turning the original question over in his mind. “I don’t understand then. Why are you asking me why I’m here if you already know the damned answer?”

Tobias sighed, and Tony stubbornly ignored the look of pity in the man’s eyes. “I also know that you got your second doctorate while you were gone. You could get a job anywhere, kid. Why the hell are you still in this fucking town? You could write your ticket? Why are you hanging around hoping for scraps of affection from people who treated you like crap? ‘Cause that’s what you’re doing here, right? Hoping that at least Abby or McGee will come around with their tales between their legs to begging for forgiveness? Only we both know that won’t happen. They’re too self-absorbed to do something like that.”

Tony hung his head and studied the plane turning it over in his hand. He’d watched Gibbs use it a million times, moving it slowly and steadily across a piece of wood bringing out the vision he had in his head. Kinda like he’d done for Tony. He’d seen a rough piece of wood in an alley in Baltimore then taken it home and cared for it with patience and sometimes tough love. Maybe he was hoping that Abby or McGee would pull their heads out and care again. What else did he have, though?

“This place, this town,” Tobias started hesitantly knowing he was about to break the kid’s, heart. He didn’t know what else to do, though. Jethro would have wanted him to keep an eye on his star pupil, and by God, that was what Tobias was gonna do. “This isn’t your home anymore, Tony. These people don’t deserve you. We both know nothing good is going to come of your meeting tomorrow with Vance. He can’t see past your undetermined status to realize your value.

“We also both know that Gibbs would not have wanted this for you. The last thing he’d want is for you to spend the rest of your life in this basement buried in memories of dead people like he did. So, I ask again… What the hell are you doing here, Tony?”

Tony lifted tired, sad eyes to look at the man who had been his mentor’s best friend. For the life of him, he didn’t know. What the hell was he doing there? And, if not here, then where?

Looking back to the wood plane, Tony thought about Gibbs and quietly asked… “What do I do, boss?” Unfortunately, the only answer was silence. Probably because Tony already knew what he needed to do in his head, but his heart wasn't quite ready. "How do I move on when no one will give me answers, Tobias? I'm not fucking stupid. I know there's something shady going on with this whole deal. Why the fuck was I shipped off to the middle of the goddamned ocean?"

"Because it was the safest place for you," Tobias offered sighing. Tony frowned and pulled out his cellphone. Tony watched the older man shoot off a message to someone, and he remained quiet until he got a response.

"I told them that this whole keeping you in the dark thing wouldn't work. The agent afloat position wasn't Vance's idea. He wanted to put you on an investigation that he was going to have Gibbs handle to find a mole within NCIS, but the higher ups at the Sentinel and Guide Council insisted that you be protected until we could get some answers. You’d probably still be there but they were worried about your mental health, so Blair demanded they recall you."

Tobias pulled a stool that was used for visitors near the bench and took a seat. "We don't know for sure that Gibbs was the real target the day that he was shot. The simulations we ran to recreate what happened were 50/50 on who the target was, but there is a chance that the shooter was aiming got you, kid."

Tony opened his mouth and then slammed it shut almost immediately trapping in the sound of horror that was trying to break free. When he felt like he could speak without shaming himself, he tried again. "I don't understand. Why would they aim for me? I don't... it's my fault that Gibbs was murdered?"

"No!" Tobias snapped, and then took a breath before continuing. "It is not your fault, even if you were the target. The only people at fault are the one who pulled the trigger and anyone backing that person. So, knock that shit out right now. Now, I can't fill you in completely, because there are still living people in danger. How much do you know about Gibbs' bonding?"

Tony shrugged before answering. "From what I could find out he bonded with Aaron Hotchner and Spencer Reid from the BAU. Hotchner was killed, and Reid was sent to Las Vegas to be with his mother. For some reason, they didn't live together or acknowledge the bond publicly. Gibbs was pretty damned mum on the whole thing. He was also an even bigger irrationally grumpy asshole than normal. Other than that, neither myself nor my contacts could find out any more information. I still don't understand why someone would want to kill me."

Tobias nodded. "Well, thank heavens for that. I'd be worried if they were able to. The answer to the why you would be a target is related to Gibbs' mates. Before he bonded with Gibbs and Spencer, Aaron Hotchner was an Undetermined status just like you are. After meeting Gibbs, Hotchner came online as a Swing SentinelGuide. Gibbs was positive that you would also if you ever found your mates. He was concerned for Hotchner's safety, and Aaron agreed. So, they decided to keep things quiet, and Gibbs would stay on his own."

"So, Spencer Reid has lost Gibbs and Hotchner, and what... he was just... sent off into the sunset? Gibbs wouldn't have wanted that!"

"There isn't much else to do with him right now, kid. Like I said, there are things I can't tell you. I also know that Gibbs would have shot me if I'da let you languish here in this basement and become him."

Tony frowned at Tobias, and then let his gaze fall to the wood plane in his hands. Taking a deep cleansing breath, Tony let it out slowly knowing what he needed to do. Gibbs had one family member left, and Tony was going to do his best by him.

# Chapter One: Dr. DiNozzo, Undetermined No More

Eight Weeks after his tough love talk with Fornell in the basement, Tony sat in his office in the Las Vegas Crime Lab as the new night shift supervisor. He had multiple job offers once he started putting his name out there. His dual doctorates in Criminal Forensics, and the new one in Criminal Justice that he’d just finished while serving aboard the USS Regan had opened doors that he’d never considered before. Once he’d given all the offers a fair consideration, Vegas ended up being the one that intrigued him the most. For most people the overnight position would be a deal breaker. However, Tony had always been the most productive in the middle of the night, and hoped that it would continue with his new shift. So far, things were working out well.

He liked the idea that the skills he’d honed at NCIS would be of good use, but it would also be a new challenge for him to conquer. He had plenty of offers in DC, but the notion that he could move to the opposite side of the country, and basically reinvent himself was appealing. Everyone had questions about his Undetermined Sentinel and Guide status, and it was Vegas who seemed to be the most understanding. Vegas was also where Tony believed that Dr. Spencer Reid was, and he was determined to help the young man in any way he could. If he could just find the man.

Tony had come in early. Some things hadn’t changed and most likely never would. He lived at his new job as much as he had his SFA position in DC at NCIS. Normally, he spend time reviewing active cases, and seeing if anything jumped out at him on ones that were getting stuck. Today though his lone bonded Sentinel and Guide duo were returning from their vacation, and he would be meeting them for the first time. He’d only been on the job for a week, but they already had arranged to take two weeks off, and left the week before he’d arrived.

There were other Sentinels and Guides working in the lab on his shift and others, but there was only one bonded pair in the whole crime lab. Tony felt fortunate that the pair was on his team. He just hoped that they liked him more than their coworkers. So far, things were rough with the rest of the team. He hadn’t exactly expected that he would walk in, and they would just fawn all over him. However, he didn’t think the previous team leader would leave quite so much… baggage.

Dr. Gil Grissom was widely known in the forensics community. Tony had actually met him once while working on his Criminal Forensics doctorate. The man was odd to say the least. He came across like every highly intelligent person that Tony had ever met in his life. Incredibly brilliant, completely out of touch with emotions and current… well current anything that wasn’t in their field of work. Tony had enjoyed the man thoroughly.

So, he could understand why they were upset he was gone. He’d seemed despite his out of touch tendencies that he was someone who was fiercely protective of those that were close to him, and that feeling would be returned by those around him. He also knew that it was harder to give the new guy a chance when you liked the previous person in that position one so much. Dr. Grissom had been a part of the hiring process though, and they’d had a talk after he’d been selected for the spot. Needless to say things were pretty much like he’d been warned by the older man.

The Undersheriff had made it clear that Tony could pick a new SIC if needed. He hadn’t wanted to deliver another blow to Catherine Willows so soon after she lost the spot she felt was hers though. Because of that, he’d told the Undersheriff that he was going to leave things as they were for the moment. Tony sympathized with her, but there were some issues raised that hurt her. There was one that both the Undersheriff and the Lab Supervisor Conrad Ecklie had felt important that he venomously disagreed with, there was another concern on their part which he wholeheartedly agreed with, and the rest of what they’d seen has issues he was completely indifferent about.

He absolutely hated the notion that a S&G status, even once such of his own as undetermined made him a better anything. There was absolutely no reason why Catherine’s mundane status should in itself automatically put her at a disadvantage. She had experience. She was determined. She was damned good at her job, and had fought hard for her position. The problem was that, well… so was Tony. There was unfortunately no category she excelled at, which Tony didn’t meet or beat her in.

Both of his doctorates were obtained while on the job. His years on the job equaled hers, and his time at NCIS gave him CSI field experience. He had just as much leadership experience as she did, and damnit he was good at what he did. He also didn’t have the… Well, Tony wasn’t sure what to call it. He was labeling it as bias at the moment. Catherine didn’t seem to outright hate Sentinels and Guides, but considering how common they were, and how much training there was available, she seemed to be intentionally ignorant on the subject.

The thing that Tony agreed should work against her was her tight relationship with her father Sam Braun, who owned one of the local casinos. Normally, Tony would be the last one to hold their parent against them. The problem was that he wasn’t quite convinced that Catherine was as able to separate her relationship with her father from her job when needed. Grissom hinted that there were a couple times where Catherine may have let Sam influence an investigation. That was a promotion killer in Tony’s eyes. It would also see her off his team the second he saw signs of it. From what Grissom said the man skirted the line between legal and illegal too often for him to be comfortable with her allowing his thoughts and ideals to influence her investigations. Hell, even if he was a living saint he still shouldn’t have any sway in the outcome of a case. It just wasn’t good for her or the lab. Only the evidence should determine guilt or innocence.

Thus far, the only mandate he’d given her for her to remain as his second in command was that she needed to complete a shit load of Sentinel and Guide training. At the moment, she was mulling over the issue very, very slowly. He hoped that she mulled faster, because he was only giving her ‘til the end of the week before he lost his patience with her completely and looked for a new Second in Command. The bigger problem seemed to be that her upset with him left the other two CSI’s upset with him, and defensive on her behalf. Especially one Guide Warrick Brown, the next highest ranking CSI after Catherine with Nick and Greg out, who was someone that Grissom had passionately defended to Tony during their talk.

Tony had looked at CSI Brown’s file, and almost immediately demanded his release or removal from his team. The fact that a rookie had been killed while he was out placing a bet on the clock was inexcusable in his opinion. Tony understood that there was no guarantee if he was there he would have stopped her death and not just been killed himself. There were just some things Tony couldn’t overlook though and the gambling thing, leaving your job to support your habit just….

Grissom had practically begged him to give Warrick a chance to keep his spot on the team. While Tony wasn’t sure he could have fired him, he knew for a fact that he could have the man transferred to another shift, as Ecklie had already told him he could move anyone he wanted to off of his team. What disturbed him the most when reviewing Brown’s file was that he didn’t see any counselling requirement for the gambling addition having been mandated.

Despite the fact that it was years past, Tony hadn’t been willing to make an exception on that, and Grissom had been more than happy to agree. Warrick of course wasn’t very happy about it. He especially wasn’t happy that Tony had insisted on picking an acceptable list of choices. That list had been made up of Bonded Guides whom would not be as susceptible to his manipulation as a Sentinel as an Unbonded Guide or a mundane. There would be no BS’ing his way out of this, which might be what pissed the CSI off the most. He’d have to actually face what he’d done and why he’d done it.

Then there was the weird dynamic between the two CSI’s. Catherine and Warrick seemed to have a mutual attraction thing going on. Only with one being a mundane, and the other a level 4 Sentinel there was no way that it would work. Tony was pretty sure that it was unhealthy, and most of the research he was aware of supported it. Relationships between a Sentinel or Guide and a Mundane only worked if the Sentinel or Guide was of a low level or in a Dormant state, which would signal they would never come online. All things considered though, there was nothing he could do about their personal relationship as long as it didn’t interfere in their jobs in a way he could prove. So far it hadn’t and he had to content himself with that. It didn’t mean though that he wouldn’t worry and keep an eye on the situation.

Someday Warrick and his guide would find each other, and a relationship with Catherine wouldn’t be given a second thought. The bonding urge to be with your True Mate simply overrode any other sexual relationship you had. For both of their sakes, he hoped that their mutual longing remained an unresolved sexual tension. He was hoping that both Catherine and Warrick would come around, but it was looking dim at this point.

Sarah Sidle was the last person Grissom made a request of him for. Apparently Catherine and Warrick weren’t the only ones sniffing at each other that would result in a doomed relationship. Guide Dr. Gil Grissom and Guide Sarah Sidle apparently had their own mutual appreciation society going on. Like Catherine and Warrick, fortunately, they both had the sense to not do anything about it. Grissom was logical enough to understand things could only end painfully if they explored their interests and therefore had managed to evade the emotional pull he felt from her. He had admitted though that his resolve had been weakening, which had been part of his reasoning for leaving.

Sarah was… well Tony wasn’t sure what Sarah was in regards to Grissom. Out of everyone he’d met so far though Sarah was the one he understood the most. She was an individual who’d had a crappy childhood, which created an incredibly high need to protect one’s self from the entire world. She’d build a nearly impenetrable wall that she let very few inside. She hid behind a mask of anger and indifference that served to protect her from her own longing for a Mate and a place to belong. Tony had a feeling the anger wasn’t completely an act, but he was pretty sure the indifference was.

Gil Grissom had been someone she’d let in. She’d come to Vegas from San Francisco just because of him, and now he’d left her, again. Granted it was because he was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself in check from what would have been an unhealthy relationship, but that wasn’t much of a consolation prize for the often abandoned Guide Sidle. Both Grissom and Tony hoped that distance would, in this case, not make the heart grow fonder.

Tony understood that what Sarah needed from him was time. So, time she was getting. She was basically respectful, and was very good at her job. She may question his decisions at times, but she always did so in an appropriate fashion behind the closed door of his office. She never acted up in the field or in front of the PD or even other lab members. He hoped that someday he’d find out who the person was behind those walls she’d built. He was willing to wait as long as she needed, and to do whatever he had to in order to help her along the way as long as she kept doing things the right way.

Tony rested his elbows on the desktop to rub his temples. Ever since the first day he’d stepped foot into the lab he’d had a mild headache. It would dim slightly when he went home, but the second he stepped foot back into the lab for his next shift it returned. Tony was also pretty sure that it was building a little every day. He’d had headaches on occasion, but nothing like this. This was… he didn’t know what it was. He was about to take another dose of highly unhelpful headache medicine when he heard a knock on his door. Looking up he saw two men coming in, whom he recognized from their personnel files as Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders. His returning CSIs.

Tony stood to greet them, but the second that the two of them crossed the threshold into his office, Tony’s world exploded. Screaming, Tony put his one hand over his ear, as the other clenched something tightly to his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut as his life erupted into a whole barrel of too much. The sound was awful. It felt like he was at a Guns N Roses concert standing right in front of one of their big speakers without protective ear muffs. Only it was the sound of what felt like every fucking person in Vegas. The Sentinel friendly lights in the office still felt like they were burning into his skin. Despite the fact that his eyes were squeezed shut, Tony swore he could still see things, and he was pretty sure it was literally the insides of his eyelids. The smell was worse than any dumpster or landfill dive he’d done in his entire career.

And the feelings…

Jesus, it felt like he could feel the emotions of every person in Vegas inside of his head. He could hear someone screaming like they were being murdered. He was pretty sure that it was him, but he couldn’t make it stop. This wasn’t right. He knew enough about Sentinels and Guides to know that this wasn’t right. It was like someone had given him all the traits of a Top Level Sentinel and added in all of the traits of a Top Level Guide just for fun. That wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be even possible, and it was tearing him to pieces. If something didn’t change soon he was pretty sure he was going to lose every ounce of his sanity.

Scrambling back, he heard a door shut as he found the darkest corner of the room, and settled in rocking back and forth as he screamed and cried. He felt something crawling into his lap, and involuntarily his hand covering his ear dropped and buried itself into its fur. The emotions didn’t go away by any means, but they did dim slightly. He felt the light being blocked and opening his eyes slightly to see that his office had turned into a zoo. On his lap was a Cinnamon British Shorthair Cat that was not small by any means. In front of him was a huge Brown Grizzly Bear. Leaning forward, Tony rested his forehead against its fur. His senses dimmed slightly as they had with the cat, but again didn’t go back to normal.

Hearing a whimper from across the room he peeked around the grizzley, and saw a grey wolf with a spider monkey on its back. The office door was closed, but he could hear mixed in with everything else some kind of argument going on outside. Even with the assistance he was getting from the animals, it was all too much though. Shutting his eyes tightly again, Tony just clung exhausted to the cat and Gibbs’ plainer. Hopefully help would come before he lost his mind.

Instead it just got worse.

He was watching the wolf and spider monkey, trying to determine what they were doing there when the office door opened abruptly, and Catherine came storming in. “What is going on in here? Why are you hiding on a corner? Come out and act like an adult. You’re pathetic. This is your idea of leadership? You’re a complete joke. Don’t think I’m keeping my mouth shut about this. That position should have been mine, and I’m gonna make sure I get it.”

The office itself was a safe haven for a Sentinel. Grissom made sure his office was some place that his Sentinel, if found, could go to get away. It wasn’t quite an isolation room. The lab already had one and making his office into one wasn’t practical. When the door was shut though, it would give enough of a barrier between the Sentinel and the rest of the lab that he or she would get some relief from whatever was stressing him or her. 

The second the door was opened though that barrier was destroyed. All of the pain came rushing back, and Tony found himself curled up in a ball clutching the cat and planer as he screamed, again. It felt like someone had hit him in the head with a metal baseball bat while throwing acid into his eyeballs. All he could do was scream and hope the pain would end. Not long after the door shut again, he passed out as all of the animals huddled around him to protect him from the world beyond the room.

The last thing Nick had expected when he walked into his new boss’ office was to feel like he’d met his Guide. Especially since he already had one who had been standing right next to him. “Nicky, what was that?” He heard Greg ask sounding strained, and slightly panicked.

Turning is head Nick opened his mouth to respond when Catherine and Warrick came running up. “We heard the screaming. What the hell is going on?”

“It’s Dr. DiNozzo. Something… I think he came online when we walked into his office.” Greg admitted softly, still sounding shaken. Concerned, Nick moved away from his position in front of the door to hug his Guide. It never occurred to him that anyone would be a threat to the Guide, his Guide something in him corrected, inside the office. Unfortunately, Catherine took that as a sign that it was free to go in.

Nick heard the door open, and turned his head in horror as he listened to her start snapping at the man. The screaming had only just stopped. Nick knew that was thanks to the measures Grissom had taken to make his office Sentinel friendly when the door was closed.

Angrily, he quickly moved forward as Catherine berated the Doctor, and clamping his hand around her arm yanked her out of the office. He practically threw her at Warrick, snarling as he once more closed the door. The urge to go comfort the Guide was great, but something was telling him not just yet. His understanding was that the Doctor didn’t have an S&G status, and it seemed that when closed in the room with the Spirit Guides he was getting some relief. He was trying not to think too hard on why his Guide and Greg’s as well were in the room with the Doctor, but none of the others from the lab were in there.

“What in the fuck are you doing? Have you lost your goddamned mind?” Nick snapped angrily, as Catherine struggled to get out of Warrick’s grip.

“Settle down, Catherine,” Warrick said shaking her slightly as she continued to fight. “That was probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen you do. I have been telling you for two weeks now that he isn’t wrong about those classes he mandated you to take. Had you done so, you’d know what you just did to that man. Nick or Greg, you’re the bosses right now since this is an S&G issue. What are we doing? We can’t just leave him in there to suffer.”

“The hell they are!” Catherine snapped struggling in Warrick’s grasp.

“Actually, Catherine, Warrick is right.” The four turned to see Sarah standing there with her arms wrapped around her middle. Sentinel David Hodges and Guide Mandy Webster standing behind her.

Mandy nodded her agreement with Sarah’s proclamation, frowning at Catherine. Normally she liked the woman, but sometimes she let her ambition and her daddy’s name go to her head. Sam’s hatred for all things S&G were famous in Vegas. His refusal to let his daughter go through any of the mundane S&G classes had hurt her more than once. Her own stubborn refusal to see he was wrong hurt her even more.

“This isn’t a lab matter,” Hodges pointed out. The unbonded Sentinel didn’t usually take to others well, but somehow he and Dr. DiNozzo had clicked right from the start. Even though he wasn’t Dr. Grissom, Hodges was at least willing to follow the new boss’ lead for the moment. David’s dislike of Catherine was well known. So, no one was really surprised that he wasn’t taking her side. “Just because it’s happening in the lab doesn’t mean the Las Vegas PD has authority over the situation. Not when a Sentinel or Guide is involved.”

“I felt him come online,” Sarah added, still speaking softly. Of the group of guides in the lab – Greg, Sarah herself, Mandy, and Henry – Sarah was the most emphatically sensitive. “He’s… I don’t understand what’s going on, but this is definitely an S&G matter. That makes Nick the responsible lab member. Even when Ecklie shows up Nick and Greg would outrank him. Not only are they individually stronger than any of the other Guides or Sentinels in LVPD they’re the strongest bonded pair and the strongest in the city of Vegas as a whole. Nick, I… we need to call Blair. This… what’s going on in there with him…”

Sarah took a deep breath, and David put a hand on her arm to try and help. Sarah smiled at the sometimes irritating lab rat. “I’ve never felt anything like him before. I had David call Ecklie right away. I just… it felt right. I’m sorry if I overstepped bounds. I… I like Dr. DiNozzo. He’s been great with all of us, being patient and giving us our space since he took over for Griss.”

Nick frowned not understanding what Sarah meant. “Don’t worry about the Ecklie thing. You made a right call. As for DiNozzo, I don’t understand what isn’t clear. He’s a Guide. I don’t understand what’s so confusing about that?”

Mandy immediately disagreed. “He’s not a Guide!”

Greg unintentionally spoke on top of her disagreeing with his mate. “No he’s not, Nicky. He’s…”

Greg immediately shut up, and Nick could feel a spike of panic through their bond. He also felt one of Greg’s bursts of inspiration, similar to when he solved a puzzle in the lab. “Sarah’s right, Nicky. I am going to the isolation room to call Blair. This is… do NOT let anyone into that room.”

Glaring at Catherine, Greg ran off to the Iso room to make his call. He’d thought they were only a myth. Something to be whispered about on conspiracy sites, and treated like unicorns. If he was right though… A unicorn had come to Vegas in the shape of their new Shift Manager.

# Chapter Two: Meeting doctors and a whole new kind of bond

Greg stepped into Bennington Sanitarium feeling more than a little unsure. He wished that Nick was with him, but if Blair was right then someone had to stay and protect their… their Swing. Jesus, they were real. Swing SentinelGuides were not supposed to be real. Only they were, and apparently not only did Vegas now have one, but he was also the mate of Nick and Greg.

Greg’s conversation with Pentacle Guide Sandburg had finished, and he’d headed back to the group to find that Ecklie had joined them. Catherine was still arguing her right to be in charge. It was completely ridiculous, and just proved in Greg’s opinion that she wasn’t fit to be a Lead CSI. Apparently, Conrad had been listening long enough that he was tired of the whining. “Catherine! Enough!” The older man snapped, and Greg had to hide his glee.

He loved Catherine to death despite the fact that she got him blown up. As the Alpha Guide of the Lab, Greg had never sensed the hatred in her that Sam had tried so hard to install, and carried himself. She was just completely and totally uneducated about S&G issues. From what Warrick said earlier that would hopefully be getting fixed. Catherine may be daddy’s girl, but he had to believe that she would never let Sam’s ideology or hatred stand between her and her ambition.

“I don’t even understand why I am having to explain this. It should be common sense, and frankly I don’t care about your lack of education. That is on you, and your daddy dearest. Nick, and for that matter everyone else here, is correct. You are not in charge of what is going on in that office. Nick and Greg are the Alpha Sentinel and Guide pairing in all of LVPD. That means they outrank everyone including myself and the sheriff. Everyone! That certainly means you. Furthermore, as far as I am concerned, you have shown with this little temper tantrum of yours that you are not fit to be in charge. Therefore, by my order as undersheriff, Nick is in charge until Dr. DiNozzo is able to take over again, or I hear from the Pentacle pair personally. If for some reason he can’t do it, Warrick will take over for him.”

“Jim and Blair are on their way,” Greg offered inserting himself into the conversation. “Fortunately, they were already in LA. So, they will be driving down. They considered flying, but they don’t have their plane today. I have orders to go get a Dr. Reid. Blair says he will be able to help us. Nicky, Jim wants you to stay here. He wants to make sure that Dr. DiNozzo isn’t disturbed, again. He’s quite… upset about his sanctuary being disrupted once already.”

Greg leaned in and kissed his mate’s cheek. He desperately wanted to explain things to his first Sentinel, but… he just couldn’t stand feeling his new Sentinel, Swing SentinelGuide he mentally corrected, in pain, and not helping.

Stealing the keys to Nick’s truck from his mate’s pocket, Greg ran from the lab. He wasn’t sure how a mental patient was going to help them, but he trusted Blair as much as anyone else on the planet. So, if he said they needed Dr. Spencer Reid then that’s who they were getting.

Now, as he walked into the lobby, he wished that he felt more confident. Blair said that he would call the hospital and clear the path for him, so to speak. When he walked in, there was an older gentleman standing by the nurse’s station. Waiting with him was a taller man who appeared to be about Greg’s age. He had a satchel slung across his body, and had a death grip on its straps.

“Hi,” Greg offered holding out his hand to the older gentleman. “I’m Alpha Guide Greg Sanders from the Las Vegas Crime Lab.” Greg took his credentials out of his pocket, and noticed it was the younger man who studied them before nodding to the older one.

“I was instructed by Pentacle Guide Sandburg to come get a Dr. Spencer Reid. There is a… situation at the lab, and Dr. Sandburg believes that Dr. Reid can help.” Since he wasn’t sure who was Dr. Reid Greg was trying to address them both. He wasn’t terribly surprised based on the warning he’d gotten from Blair when the younger man stepped up.

“I’m Dr. Reid,” the younger man advised taking a shaky step forward. “Blair told me what has happened. I will do whatever I can to help you and Sentinel Stokes to…” Spencer trailed off, and Greg could feel the pain he was holding. Whatever had happened to this man had been terrible. Greg ached to help.

“We should go,” Spencer finally said again. “I’ll explain in the car.”

Nodding Greg turned, and walked out hoping Spencer would follow. The older man’s disapproval followed them like a bad omen. Greg could feel that he didn’t like this, but whatever was going on with Dr. Reid apparently hadn’t overridden his ability to make his own decisions.

When they got to the car, Greg paused when his passenger put a hand on his arm. “You need to know some things before we go,” the young doctor offered quietly. His need to help Dr. DiNozzo was eating at him, but then so was the fragile state of his passenger.

“I once had a Sentinel and a Swing SentinelGuide myself. Roughly nine months ago they were… both murdered at roughly the same time. My…” The young doctor’s voice broke, and Greg longed to offer a touch of comfort, but Blair had made it clear the young man hadn’t liked being touched even before what happened to him.

“My Aaron was short in the chest as we were leaving the FBI building in Quantico. We both worked on the BAU team located there. My Gibbs was killed roughly five minutes later in DC at the Navy Yard. He was shot in the head. The… Dr. DiNozzo was there. He was standing next to him. I’ve always believed that they didn’t know who… Jim and Blair and myself think that the… the Americans for Mundane Rights were responsible. They are on several government watch lists and have been known to encourage acts of violence by their followers, which led to numerous beatings, lynching, and other deplorable acts over the years. Their members have been found on conspiracy sites talking about murdering Swings if they were ever found to be real. Apparently, they think somehow that the existence of a Swing SentinelGuide would put mudanes in danger of ceasing to exist.”

Greg swallowed heavily wanting to comfort the doctor now more than ever. To have lost not one of your mates but two was… Jesus. Greg wouldn’t have survived. “I can’t help Dr. DiNozzo directly, but I am willing to show you and Nick how to help him settle initially. There isn’t a lot of knowledge, but I probably know more than anyone. I am willing to tell you three what I know. I realize that picking me up at a… at Bennington doesn’t offer much confidence, but…”

“No!” Greg had to cut in, and unintentionally startled his new friend. If anything came out of this, Greg was determined Dr. Reid would be his friend. “I have all the confidence in you in the world. What you went through. I can’t even imagine how you survived at all. When this is all over, we will do anything we can to help you. I don’t know your situation, if you have people helping. If so, you can add the three of us to the list. If not, well you do now.”

Spencer just nodded, but Greg could feel the small sliver of relief amongst all the pain. He hoped that didn’t mean the poor man really was alone. It was certainly the last thing he deserved.

When they got back to the lab, Greg led Spencer to the front desk to get a visitor’s badge, and then to the office. When they walked up, Nick was standing in front of the door with his arms crossed over his chest. His face might as well have been made of stone, and Greg wondered if Catherine had made more of a fuss after he left. Or, if it was just the strain of listening to what must feel like his guide suffering.

“G,” Nick said in greeting, and Greg could feel his relief at his return. “I’m glad to see you. I think Dr. DiNozzo is asleep or unconscious. I was afraid to go in since I didn’t know what was going on. I hope we don’t gotta wait too much longer though. It’s makin’ me feel squirrely just standin’ here.”

Greg nodded and moved to take his sentinel’s hand. “Nicky, this is Dr. Spencer Reid. He… has experience with our situation.”

“That’s good to hear,” Nick offered unsure. “Whatever that means. What is our situation? I’m a little unclear here, G. You didn’t really say much before you left.”

Greg was going to respond when Nick looked toward the office. “I think he just woke up, but he’s obviously still… I dunno.”

“We should go in,” Spencer offered quietly clutching the satchel straps still. “He needs you and Guide Sanders, Sentinel Stokes. Once you’ve got him stable, we can go to your Isolation Room, and I will be happy to explain everything. I don’t… you won’t want this out where everyone can hear. At least my… My Aaron and My Gibbs didn’t.”

Greg felt a surge of pain coming off the man, and bit his lip as he squeezed Nick’s hand. His mate seemed to accept the doctor’s suggestion, and turning knocked on the door. “Doc DiNozzo, there are three of us who would like to come in. It’ll be myself and my Guide Greg along with Dr. Spencer Reid. We want to help you.”

“Dr. Reid? Gibbs’ Dr. Reid? If so, you can come in. Please be quick though. It hurts when you open the door.” Nick looked to the stranger who nodded and quickly led them into the office. Dr. DiNozzo was sitting in the back corner of the room, and could barely be seen around the large grizzly perched in a protective position in front of him. Nick’s own wolf Dwight was pressed close to the man’s side, and Valo Greg’s spider monkey was perched on his shoulder.

“Spencer,” Greg heard Dr. DiNozzo say.

“Hello, Tony,” the doctor responded moving around the bonded pair. “I have wanted to meet you for a long time. I’m… I wish it had happened sooner. Gibbs… Gibbs he…” Spencer stopped obviously struggling.

Apparently Tony, as Spencer had called him, wasn’t aware of whatever touch issue the younger man had, because he quickly stood and moved to wrap his arms around the man. Greg was about to protest as his new friend immediately burst into tears. Before he could though, he sensed a bit of comfort in the touch. He guessed that this Gibbs person who it seemed was Spencer’s Sentinel must have been important to them both, as he felt a similar thread of grief coming from his new mate. It seemed odd to think of the man that way, but at the same time it felt right. Greg noticed that the Spirit Animals hadn’t moved away. A large cat had moved to perch on Tony’s other shoulder, and Dwight and the bear merely shifted positions.

Once he was ready, the young doctor pulled back and after wiping off his face spoke. “It looks like Tony has already started the bonding. It… bonding works differently with a Swing. The most commonly used title of address is Swing and then the person’s last name unless you are in a formal setting then you would use the entire status of Swing SentinelGuide and the last name. The whole… the sex thing isn’t really as important. It’s more about the Spirit Guides as a Swing’s bonds initiates on the Sprit Plain. An Unbonded Swing won’t have contact with his Spirit Guides until he comes online like a Sentinel or Guide would. Once they appear they will never interact with someone the swing has not formed some type of a bond with. The first people they will interact with after the Swing himself or herself will always be the mates.

“A Swing has never come online without his or her mates present. I think it’s because there is such a large overload of emotions and sensations not to mention all of the other things that come with being a Swing. It would simply be too dangerous for them to be on their own. In my opinion the Swing wouldn’t survive more than 24 hours without being bonded.

“As I said a little bit ago, Swing DiNozzo has already bonded with your Spirit Guides. What needs to happen now is Nick will need to bond with Tony’s Guide Spirit Guide, and Greg will need to bond with Tony’s Sentinel Spirit Guide. Once that is done, we can go to the isolation room, and I will try my best to explain what’s going on. Most of it is conjecture and speculation on my part but…” Finally Spencer trailed off. Greg still wanted to hug him, but wanted to get this bonding with Tony’s Sentinel Spirit Guide underway.

Sitting on the floor in a sort of meditation position, Greg opened himself up and waited. Next to him he could feel Nick following what he’d done. Once his mate was comfortably seated he reached over and took Nick’s hand before opening his shields. Almost immediately, the cat jumped off of Tony’s shoulder and began moving toward Nick. Slowly but steadily the creature moved across the floor. Once he was close enough Greg watched the big cinnamon colored fur ball sniff at his mate’s fingers and then lick his skin.

Greg could feel Nick’s nerves, and couldn’t help but think that this felt like some horrible job interview and first date all in one. “What’s his name?” Greg heard Nick ask softly, speaking to their Swing for the first time.

“Caan,” Tony said quietly now holding onto Valo with Dwight pressed against his leg. “His name is Caan, after James Caan who played Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. The bear is Brando, named after Marlon Brando who played Don Vito Corleone. I… I like the movie.”

Spencer snickered, and the sound was almost a shock to the room. “You like all movies, if Gibbs was to be believed.”

Tony grinned and shrugged as he briefly shifted his attention to Dr. Reid. “Says the man who’s never met a book he hasn’t memorized.”

Greg was happy to hear the sound. There were several things he would need answers to, and added that to his list. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Spencer seemed to be better since he’d come in contact with Tony. He hadn’t known the man very long though, so it might be his imagination. His emotions felt lighter though, and while he didn’t have a Sentinel’s senses, Spencer seemed to be less pale and even looked to have a little more energy than he had before.

It was definitely something he would be mentioning. When he turned his attention back to Nick, Caan seemed to have made up his mind. As he watched, the spirit animal was jumping into his guide’s lap, and quickly vanished. He could feel the rush of sensation and change their existing bond as it suddenly felt more somehow than it had before.

He was just barely aware that Brando had moved toward him and like Caan had quickly disappeared as the large animal bent down to hug him. It was… it was amazing. Everything was just… everything was more. He could feel everyone so much better and clearer. Information that he had before was enhanced with new information. For instance, not only could he feel Catherine’s upset and anger at Doctor DiNozzo, but he could feel exactly why she was upset.

He was dismayed to feel that what he had always perceived as upset at how Mundanes are sometimes considered not as good as Sentinels or Guides, was actually straight up prejudice. Why she chased after Warrick so much he didn’t know, and didn’t wanna try and find out as it would require him to be more invasive than he was comfortable with. The prejudice and anger were not only on the surface of her emotional makeup, but she was consciously letting her feelings be known to any and all around her. He now was less confident that things with Catherine would work out, but because he didn’t feel anything dangerous from her that would put someone at risk, was bound by law to keep what he sensed to himself.

Immediately upon blocking out what Catherine was projecting, Greg felt Tony’s presence in his head. It was like… well everything that was good. Love and comfort and safety and… just everything. Tony felt like his Sentinel, but also like a fellow Guide. One stronger than himself though. Closer to how Blair Sandburg felt, but he thought even more than that. Greg wasn’t sure he cared what it was. He just knew that this man was his, and he loved him the same as he’d loved Nicky since they’d first met the day he started at the lab. He didn’t have answers, but that was ok. He knew everything he needed to know. Dr. Tony DiNozzo Swing SentinelGuide was his. Frankly, that was all that mattered.

#  **Chapter Three:** Explanations Galore

The four men were settled in the Isolation room. Dr. Reid had coffee, which he was moaning over happily, while Nick, Greg, and Tony were sprawled together on a pile of pillows of various sizes. The four men’s animals were even huddled together. Spencer had been shocked when his own Spirit Guide Archimedes, a Big Horned Owl that looked a bit unhealthy, made an appearance and was immediately welcomed by Caan and Brando. Currently the big bird was perched on Brando’s back watching things as Caan sat behind him and appeared to be trying to groom his feathers.

“I’m not sure where to start,” Reid murmured softly clutching the coffee with both hands, and taking comfort in its warmth. “There are obviously things that you need to know about your new circumstance, but I don’t know how to begin that without telling you the truth about…”

“Truth about what, Spencer?” Tony asked softly leaning against Nick’s chest with Greg in his arms. Every so often he’d drop his cheek to rest against Greg’s hair. It was soft and he liked the blonde spikes. It reminded him of hairstyles he wore when he was younger and could pull it off. These days he was going for the partial slick backed look with glasses. He’d hated wearing contacts, and when he decided to leave DC, he decided to switch.

“Aaron’s not dead,” Spencer admitted biting his lip. When Caan, Tony’s cinnamon short hair, finished with Archimedes and moved to curled up in his lap, Spencer took advantage of the animal’s comfort curling his arms around the Spirit Guide.

“Only my…. Only My Gibbs died that day,” Spencer whimpered burying his face in the soft fur for a moment until he could continue.

“I don’t… I need to start from the very beginning, I think.” Spencer finally said. When he lifted his face to look at his three companions, they all nodded quietly encouraging him to go on.

“LJ wasn’t our true third. I am a Guide, and Aaron was like you Tony. He was… He is a Swing SentinelGuide, which means that he has both Guide and Sentinel abilities. He can even be self-sufficient. Meaning he can regulate himself if needed. Although it’s recommended only to be used on occasion, and it only worked after he’d bonded with another Guide and Sentinel. No Swing SentinelGuide has access to their full abilities prior to bonding.”

Spencer looks up at Tony. “Actually, they’ve always said that they don’t have access to any of their abilities, but I think, Tony, that Gibbs has been using your Guide half to regulate his Sentinel, when needed. Somehow. It shouldn’t have worked, but it seems to me as if it did. I’ve wanted to discuss it with Blair, but didn’t want to risk bringing you to the wrong person’s attention before you came online. My theory is that because you two were so close, Gibbs told us he thought of you as his younger brother, that you’d formed enough of a bond to activate a tiny bit of your Guide abilities. Did they ever test you after say the first year at NCIS?”

Tony thought about the question, and then shook his head no. “I had to be tested when I moved from Baltimore PD to NCIS, but I haven’t been tested since.”

“I would guess that you may have reflected as a latent Guide had you been tested within the last few years. Without having met your true mates, I theorize that you could act as an emergency Guide for Gibbs as something like a… signal booster. I suppose though now we won’t know for sure…”

Spencer trailed off uncertainly, and Tony longed to go over and put his arms around the man. He sensed though that the young genius was no longer receptive to touch, and was happy to let Caan offer the comfort in his place.

“It’s a good theory, Reid,” Tony offered quietly. “It would have been interesting to know if it was correct. You said that Gibbs wasn’t your true third?”

Spencer lifted his head looking surprised that someone was interested in his theory, and smiled shyly. “No, our… Our true third was Jason Gideon. He… he didn’t want us though. He didn’t want anyone. When the three of us came in contact the day I started, we immediately knew. He… he rejected us though. So, Aaron’s abilities went Dormant until we found Gibbs after Gideon left us. I think that most likely the strain of the constant presence of the bond he’d rejected was what pushed Jason back over the edge when Sarah died.”

Spencer frowned unhappily thinking of the Sentinel’s exit from their lives. “He’d tried to fool himself into believing that he could be content with a Mundane like Sarah. It never would have worked though, and more he tried to force it, the more he broke. When she was killed, I think something in his head snapped. Last I heard, he lives in the middle of the dessert somewhere. I sincerely hope that I never see him again. I’ve never wished anyone to suffer, but I don’t feel the least bit bad that Gideon does now.”

Spence’s frown deepened, but when it turned sad, Tony guessed that his thoughts had turned to Gibbs. “Aaron and I agreed after Gideon left that it was time to begin looking for another third. Normally, a Swing SentinelGuide can only bond with their True Mates. The exceptions to that though are if the True Sentinel or True Guide are either killed or if one of the two reject the bond, the Swing’s SentinelGuide self will allow them to look for a compatible replacement. It isn’t easy though. The bond won’t accept someone who has a True Mate out there somewhere, and they have to be an Alpha or Pinnacle level Sentinel or Guide. Gibbs… it took a long time to find Gibbs.”

Spencer sniffed and rested his cheek on Caan’s fur again as he continued to explain. “I always thought that once we found our new third that everything would be perfect, but… Gibbs and Aaron were worried. They wanted to keep everything a secret. Gibbs thought that there was a threat to Aaron, and it was the only way to keep us all safe. When Jim and Blair came to see us, they agreed. Only they all lied. It didn’t keep anyone safe. Gibbs is dead, and Aaron is in a medically induced Swing Stasis. They can’t bring him out until we can find another replacement Sentinel. Only this time I have to do it all by myself.”

“No you don’t,” Tony said firmly, and was glad when Greg’s head bobbed up and down in agreement in front of him. He could also feel support for their decision from Nick through the strengthening bond. “Gibbs would want me to look out for you. So, even after you find this third mate, you’re stuck with me. You won’t be doing anything all by yourself anymore, unless it’s what you want. Can you answer some questions? Are you up for it?”

Spencer nodded rapidly, but remained quiet looking slightly stunned at the proclamation. “Where is Aaron now? Is he here in Vegas as well?” Tony asked, and Spencer immediately shook his head no.

“I don’t know where he is, but I don’t think that he is here. I… I haven’t seen him since he was shot. They tried to tell me that he was dead, but… I mean… I can still feel him. I don’t understand why they’d say he didn’t survive when they have to know that I can still feel him. When I called them on their bullshit they were forced to admit that he’d survived and that’s when they told me about the stasis.”

“That’s,” Tony started and stopped as he scowled. “Greg do you have a phone you can take some notes for me on? Would you mind?” Greg hurriedly agreed that he didn’t mind, and took out his phone allowing Tony to continue.

“Item number one is going to be finding Aaron and getting him brought here. It’s fucking bullshit that Spencer can’t go see him, and it can’t be good for either of them. I don’t know what fucking moron thought that up, but it’s changing. I have a question about the keeping the Swing status a secret.

“You don’t ever hear about Swings. People treat them like they’re unicorns. If they have to find their True Mates to come online, I can see how that would make things more difficult. Although, there should be some way to more easily find matches. Spencer, do you know if there are any other living Swing SentinelGuides who are active?”

Spencer shook his head slowly. “Jim and Blair told us that they’d all been murdered, or at least the ones within the United States have. Thinking back I realize they were less specific than I thought they were. So, I am not sure, I guess. I do know that there are only about 20 Swing SentinelGuides a year who come online unlike the thousands of Pure Sentinels and Pure Guides. Gibbs was convinced that you would be a Swing though when he found out that Aaron’s status had always been Undetermined also. I think that it’s part of the reason why he wanted to keep things secret. He was trying to protect two people he cared for a great deal. He had problems with the coincidence that there were two Swings so close together also when so few are registered to come online a year.”

“Rule 39: There’s no such thing as a coincidence.” Tony said immediately.

“Rule 39?” Nick echoed sounding slightly amused, and Tony nodded looking back over his shoulder at his Sentinel.

“Gibbs had a rule for everything. I can see Gibbs going with the secrecy thing. He liked to do that with just about everything. It seems though like that route has been thoroughly proven to be a failure.”

“What’re you thinkin’, Boss?” Nick asked running his hand up and down Tony’s arm. The Swing was fairly sure that if the Texan started playing with his hair, he might start purring.

“That we need to do an oppo.”

“That’ll be a hell of a lot of publicity,” Greg pointed out, and interestingly it was Spencer who answered.

“Is your privacy more important than your mate’s lives?” Surprised, Greg just blinked as he looked at his new friend, and eventually shook his head.

“It’ll be harder for them to kill him if everyone has their eyes on him,” Nick pointed out agreeing with Spencer. “Not impossible, and not even hard, but still it will be harder with the whole world watching him. You know I’m the last one to want to be in the public’s eye, G, but in this case I think that’s the way to go. We’ll need extra security. Especially if you wanna bring this Aaron here.

“The S&G Council has Elite Protection Units that are made up of former military and government agents from around the world. We should easily be able to request one assigned to Vegas until this is all cleared up. We gotta know that even going public won’t get rid of the threat completely. It’ll just hopefully slow them down some. So, we’ll need to stay diligent and accept help from professionals. Doctor Reid, what can you tell us about this bonding from here on out? Is it over or what?”

They watched as Spencer seemed to pull himself together again before answering. “The bond itself should be in place, but as with any mating, you’ll need to take a few days to yourselves. Plus, it will take two or three days for Tony to get used to his new abilities. If it works like it did with Aaron, he seemed to just… know how to do things. As we got used to each other, Gibbs and I would walk him through things, and that seemed to be all that he needed. Considering we couldn’t exactly take him to an S&G center, I guess that was a good thing. I would recommend that you take at least a week off. It’ll give you time to get used to each other, and for this Protection Unit to get here.”

“Do we know when Blair and Jim will get here?” Tony asked suddenly not able to be in the building any longer. He needed to be somewhere that felt and smelled like his mates, and had a lot less people. Before they could go though, he needed to resolve one more detail. “Spencer, why are you at Bennington? Is that where you want to be? And, would you go somewhere else if you had somewhere to go?”

Tony watched Spencer pet Caan’s soft fur for a bit before he answered. “Blair told me that he and Jim would be in Vegas today. They’re gonna stop and talk to the Lab Supervisor then come speak to you three. Blair figured that you’d be outside of the lab and at someone’s home by the time they arrive, and he wants to get some lab situation settled first.

“After Aaron got shot, I think I did something that kept him alive until they got there. I just remember my hands feeling warm, and like I had to keep him from bleeding out. When the EMTs got there though, they had to pry me off him, and then… Well, I don’t remember anything until I woke up in Bennington. I didn’t… I didn’t take it well at first. I missed Gibbs’ funeral. I didn’t get… I didn’t get to say goodbye. Every day I feel like he died alone and that he lived his last few months still not knowing how much he was loved. I don’t think that I’ll ever forgive myself for going along with that stupid idea for Aaron and me to live apart from him. I feel like we let him down.”

Spencer sniffed and wiped a sleeve over his face to get rid of the tears on his face before continuing. “I couldn’t have been on my own, and I didn’t really want to see anyone from the team. I was embarrassed. I feel like it’s my fault somehow that Aaron got hurt. I got an email from Garcia though that Emily left shortly after that, and convinced Derek to go with her. I think that Rossi retired again. I heard from JJ once that she was taking some time off to decide what she wants to do. She and Will are thinking about moving to New Orleans. Garcia is staying with the FBI for the moment. While I’m friends with Garica, and JJ and I were close at one point that feels… different now somehow.

“I stay at Bennington, because I don’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t… I know I can’t handle being alone again, but I hate being there. It scares me. It’s like my worst nightmare is coming true. I’ve always been scared that I’d turn into my mother stuck in a mental hospital, and look where I am now. I need Aaron back. I need to not be surrounded by everything I am terrified of every second of my day, but I still don’t have a place to go and I don’t know what to do.”

“What if you came to live with us?” Nick asked quietly surprising Tony, and from the brief look of shock on Greg’s face matching the feeling through the bond it seemed he wasn’t the only one.

“We have the room. There’s a spare room that we never have anyone to stay in it. Neither Greg nor I are close enough to our family anymore to have out of town visitors. Our house isn’t huge, but both the master suite and the spare room are practically isolation rooms. When Greg and I redid the house, we made sure that both rooms could be used by a Sentinel without anything bleeding out beyond the room’s walls or from outside the rooms into them. Plus, it’ll make things easier once the Protection Team gets here.”

Tony nodded then turned his head to give his Sentinel a quick kiss. “You are an amazing man, Nicholas Stokes.” Tony turned his attention back to Gibbs’ former Guide. “Spencer, I would love for you to come stay with us, and it surely would make me feel better. I’m going to say it, again. I know Gibbs would have wanted me to look out for you, and that’s what I intend to do. Not because I think you’re weak, but because it’s what is right and doing anything else would make me feel itchy scratchy.”

Tony looked down to his Guide to see the man watching Spencer intently. “Dr. Reid, I already told you in Nicky’s truck that you had three people on your side now, and I meant it. I’m in on the whole Spencer living with us thing. I vote we go clear his stuff out of that… place and take him home with us. We’ve tested out the rooms as best as we can. If you can’t hear my H.I.M CDs in the spare room with the speakers on the other side of the door and turned all the way up, he should be good for any wild bunny sex that will be happening.”

“Now that sounds promising,” Tony threw out grinning, and Spencer looked like he was trying not to laugh. When he did speak though, he was serious once again.

“There are exactly twenty three reasons floating around in my head as to why I should turn down your offer, and only two reasons why it seems logical to accept.” Spencer started before letting out a deep sigh and looking down at his hands. “There’s also one illogical reason why I want to do it. For once I am going with what I want, and not what logic dictates. You knew Gibbs better than I did, Tony, and I feel like to not accept your offer would be to dishonor his memory. And, well… I just want to. So, I’m going to say yes. Please, get me out of that hospital.”

Pulling away from his new mates, Tony crossed the distance between himself and Spencer and slowly reached out to pull the younger man into his arms. “You have my word, Spence. You won’t ever see the inside of that place as a patient ever, again.”

# Chapter Four: The Truth Comes Out

When the trio and Spencer finally got to Nick and Greg’s home, the Sentinel and Guide headed to their bedroom to change. Tony wanted a few moments to himself, and after quickly changing into clothes from his go bag headed into the backyard. Spencer wanted to spend some time truly alone before Blair and Jim arrived and headed straight to the guest room locking himself in.

Taking a deep breath, Tony closed his eyes and turned his face up to the sky breathing in the night air. When he opened his eyes, he studied the expanse above him. Nick and Greg lived far enough from the strip that the stars could be seen in the night sky as they twinkled above him. He was beginning to panic as the totality of what happened tonight began to really sink in. He’d come online as some kind of mythological SentinelGuide combination. He had not one but two new mates, and the fate of Gibbs’ Guide and Swing both lay in his hands.

This was on top of the pressure he already had leading a new team who adored their previous Shift Leader. His Shift Second in Command was, unless he was misinterpreting what he read from her, completely unsuitable for the job, and most likely would never go through the training she needed to do the job. In a matter of moments, he’d gone from an anomaly who was basically alone in the world to some super freak who had multiple people tied to him forever.

Just as he was about to completely freak out, he felt arms slip around his waist and someone’s warm breath on his ear. “Breathe, Doc,” Nick commanded before pressing a soft kiss to the sensitive skin behind his ear.

Tony tried to comply taking a shuddering breath as he felt Nick’s chin rest on his shoulder. “What are you freaking out about?” He heard the older man ask as someone took his hand.

“Everything?” He half answered half questioned as he turned his gaze to the side to see Greg looking at him concerned. Not knowing how to deal with that, he turned his eyes back up to the sky.

“I’m used to being alone, even when I have a million people around me and I’m playing the part of the life of the party. Gibbs was the closest thing I had to family, but even he didn’t concern himself too much with how I was feeling or if I was OK. Despite the fact that I was his Senior Field Agent for over five years and I had known him for longer, he never treated me as if I was any different from any other agent on his team. I’m used to being some indeterminable oddity that everyone just glances at with pity when they find out my S&G status.”

Tony huffs an obviously unhappy laugh before continuing. “Now I have this… I have… I’m this super freak who can be a Guide or a Sentinel at will. I have two people connected to me forever that will always know every single thing about me. Not only do I have this new team I’m responsible for, but I have Gibbs’ Guide who it seems was thrown into a nuthouse because they didn’t know what else to do with him and his Swing SentinelGuide who has been injured and then thrown somewhere without anyone around who cares about him.

“And goddammit, Gibbs is still fucking dead!”

Tony just wanted to hide somewhere. Before the thought could even fully form though, the Guide next to him stepped in front of him curling his arms around his neck trapping him between the two men. “This Gibbs was important to you?” Greg asked softly, and Tony’s voice shook more than he wanted as he answered.

“Some days it feels like he’s the first person who ever gave a shit that I was alive. My father hates me and spent most of my first 12 years either beating me, telling me how worthless I was or ignoring me. He shipped me off to boarding school when the new step-mommy said I was too difficult to handle during the summer break. My mom died when I was 8. I know I have frat brothers, so it isn’t really true that no one else ever cared. It’s just… Gibbs was… he was just…”

“The person no one else could be for you?” Nick asked softly still resting his chin on Tony’s shoulder, and the Swing nodded. “M’sorry, man. If it’s too difficult to have Spencer here…”

“No,” Tony interrupted also shaking his head from side to side to make his thought clear. “I have to look out for them. I can’t… I don’t know how to explain it. I just do. Spencer needs to be with us, and we need to find Aaron. They’re…”

“Pack,” Greg finished letting Tony know that he understood. “I don’t know how you feel about the spiritual side of all of this. My Nana Olaf taught me about lot of it though as a kid, so I think I’m predisposed to believe more than some. She had visions, and I think I got my ability to see and speak to the dead from her. You… well the three of us now really, are at the top of the food chain.

“To be honest, technically, we’re above Jim and Blair because we’re a trio, and you’re a Swing. Nana and Papa Olaf believed in Swings. Even if I mostly thought they were something like unicorns, now that I know they’re real I have no doubts about you. The three of us will for sure feel the urge to form a Pack, and I am thinking that you’re the reason I connected to Doctor Reid so quick. He’s definitely your Pack.”

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Tony admitted quietly and felt Nick squeeze him slightly as he pressed another kiss to his neck.

“You can because you aren’t alone in this,” the more veteran CSI reminded him. “There’s three of us feelin’ our way along this trail we’re walkin’. There isn’t anything that we gotta rush into. We’ll figure everything out as we go along. As long as the three of us stay on the same page then fuck everyone else.”

Tony turned his head slightly and rested his cheek against Nick’s as he turned his eyes back up toward the stars. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there with Nick behind him and Greg in front before the youngest of the three of them pulled away.

“Someone’s here. It’s probably Jim and Blair.” Nick suggested and then nodded after a few moments. “Yeah, feels like them. We better go inside. I think that it’s time that we hear what they have to say.”

When they walked back into the house they found Spencer standing in the hallway between the kitchen and the living room staring at the front door with a look of half trepidation and half something that Tony couldn’t define. He could relate to the mixed emotion though. The Pinnacle Primes were looked upon with almost reverence by the Sentinel and Guide Pack in North America, and it was hard not to echo that feeling. Yet, Tony couldn’t get over the feeling that the pair had fundamentally let down both himself and Spencer so severely that it cost one of them a Sentinel and the other an older brother substitute that Tony had desperately needed.

Tony stopped to stand near the genius as Nick proceeded to the front door, while Greg headed into the kitchen to get some waters and beers. The second the Pinnacle couple stepped into the house, he heard a low growl fill the room. It wasn’t until the eyes of those at the door turned to him, and then Spencer took his hand that he realized it was him growling. He saw Jim Ellison frown and move to take a step forward, and was immediately stopped by Blair. Brando chose that moment to appear and the big bear moved to stand near Spencer protectively. A black wolf immediately appeared near Jim growling low, and Tony assumed it was the man’s Spirit Guide Jimi.

He overheard the Pinnacle Prime Guide saying something to his Sentinel about it not being the time for posturing, and that Tony being stronger than him even in his newly activated state. He didn’t really understand what the Guide was saying and got distracted when Greg stepped in front of him blocking the couple from his sight. “Hey, take a breath. It’s ok. They won’t be able to hurt Spencer. Not here. You and Nicky won’t let it happen. He’s safe I promise.”

Tony stared into the Guide’s eyes trying to let the words calm him. It wasn’t until Nick came over though and put a hand on his shoulder that he felt himself begin to relax. Mentally he let the moment move to the back of his mind where it could be worked on to determine what it meant that he needed them both to relax, and shifted his attention back to the immediate problem of the two Pinnacle Primes.

When he was as calm as he was going to get, Tony headed around Nick pulling Spencer along behind him, and headed for the couch. After placing Spencer in a recliner and sitting on the arm with Brando settled on the other side of the genius, Tony motioned to the couch and the other chairs for the two visitors, intruders his mind sneered unhelpfully, to sit. Blair chose to sit in the chair furthest away from their position, with Jim leaning against the back of it and Jimi settled next to them watching Brando carefully. Nick and Greg then sat on the couch between the two chairs with Nick closest to the Pinnacle pair. Dwight appeared and immediately headed to lean against Brando with Caan and Vallo curled up on a free cushion on the couch. The only Spirit Animal not present was Blair’s, and Tony wondered why that was.

“I’m sorry that we’ve intruded on your nesting time,” Blair started sounding sincere enough, but Tony was withholding judgment until the end of the conversation.

“I promise that we mean no harm to Spencer. If it wasn’t urgent that we speak to you, we would have waited a few weeks so you could settle. The way things have been going though we didn’t feel safe in delaying our arrival.”

“This have something to do with Aaron Hotchner being shot, and the other Swing SentinelGuides that have been murdered?” Tony asked sounding nowhere near calm.

“What makes you think there’s other Swing SentinelGuides? And, you speak as if you think Hotchner is alive. What makes you think he survived the attack? Last I checked he was reported to be deceased.” Jim asked straightening and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because we’re not stupid?” Tony asked in response narrowing his eyes at the Pinnacle Prime Sentinel. “Seriously? That’s the route that you’re going to go? Play the arrogant dick and hope that I’ll just what? Go away? You do know his Guide is sitting right next to me, right? I assumed, maybe incorrectly it seems, that being the fucking Pinnacle Prime Sentinel of North America that you understand how the connection between a Sentinel and his Guide works. And, you had met Gibbs right? You’re aware that he was very proud of his bastard side? You couldn’t out asshole him if you had to, Bubba.”

“Listen, Pretty Boy,” Jim started, but was quickly cut off by his Guide as Tony heard a cough from the couch. Looking, he saw Nick trying to hide a smirk, while Greg wasn’t even trying.

“Jim,” Blair interrupted frowning up at his Sentinel. “I told you that isn’t going to work here. So, can it!”

“But, Chief,” Jim started only to be cut off again. “We can’t take the risk of…”

“No!” Blair shot back. “I’m tired of losing these people! You promised me we’d do it differently this time. Now, Jethro trusted this man. So, we need to stop doing our ostrich impression sticking our heads in the sand and acting like there’s not a huge fucking problem!”

Tony’s lips twitched at the Guide’s moxie amused him despite himself. So far, Ellison seemed to be a huge asshole, but he had at least a sliver of hope that Sandburg could be trusted. So, when the Guide looked at him, he tried to tame his hostility.

“Why don’t you tell us what you know or suspect, and we’ll go from there,” Blair requested, and Tony nodded, if somewhat stiffly. Looking to Nick and Greg for their opinion, he waited until they both gave their nods of agreement before proceeding.

“Thanks to Spencer we know that while Gibbs really did die, Aaron is alive and in a medically induced Swing Stasis. We know that you assholes tried to tell Spencer that he was dead, but had to come clean when he pointed out that he can feel him through their bond. We don’t know where he is, and I can tell you right now that’s changing before either of you are allowed to leave this house. We suspect that there’s been more deaths because neither Aaron Hotchner nor I are unicorns. There’s no way that two Swing SentinelGuides showed up so fucking close together without there being others.

“As far as what business it is of mine,” Tony snarled angrily. “I was Gibbs’ Power of Attorney, and his Legal Next of Kin even after his bonding. I was the sole heir to his estate, and I probably knew him better than anyone besides Tobias Fornell. And even if all that doesn’t mean anything, one more for those hard of hearing at the back of the room… His Guide is right here next to me!”

Blair nodded. “Jim shouldn’t have tried to bullshit you about Aaron now or Spencer after Aaron was shot. It was a shitty thing we tried to do, and Spencer, you have my deepest apologies. I should have put a stop to this nonsense way before Aaron came online. I just…”

Blair trailed off and sniffed before taking a deep breath. The Pinnacle Guide’s Ocelot Spots suddenly appeared on his lap, and the man’s arms automatically wrapped around the creature’s body. Tony ignored the glare that the tall Sentinel was sending his way, and refused to feel bad about upsetting the Guide. It seemed as if they hadn’t felt bad about trying to hurt Spencer. So, fuck them.

“I don’t understand how this keeps happening,” Blair uttered. “I take our position seriously. Being the Pinnacle Prime Guide over North America and second to the Worldwide Primes isn’t just a job for me. It’s something I feel like I was born to do. I know that I wasn’t as close to Jethro as you two, but he was still my friend. You’re right. You and Aaron are not the only Swings. You’re also right that there have been others who have been murdered. There have been some in other countries, mostly England where the Worldwide Pinnacle Primes are located. However, the majority of where the deaths have occurred have been here in the US.”

Greg stood and took the Guide a bottle of water, which the older man accepted gratefully and immediately opened to get a drink before continuing. “It’s troubling, to say the least, and at this point, we’re open to suggestions on how to make it stop. We are fairly positive that the Americans for Mundane Rights is behind the whole thing at least here in the States, but we don’t know how they keep getting the information. There’s no indication that our servers have been hacked, and currently, none of the information on Swings is even listed digitally. When Aaron’s mating with Spencer and Gibbs hit 6 months, we had hoped that it was over.”

“Then Gibbs was killed a week later,” Spencer said, speaking for the first time since the duo had arrived.

Blair nodded regretfully before speaking again. “Honestly, we’re pretty much out of ideas.”

Tony cocked his head to one side as an idea tickled his brain. Filing it away to bring up when the Primes left, he decided to move on. “Maybe it’s time that someone else looks into it then,” he murmured.

“And you think you can do better?” Jim shot back, but Tony just snorted. He was over the man’s attitude.

“I think that while you and Blair were cops, it was in a small town in Washington. I don’t think that you had a ton of experience chasing serial killers. I think that your pride is getting in the way because you’re used to being in charge and having all the answers. Well, tough fucking shit. I’m not interested in molly coddling you.

“Frankly, I’m more interested in staying alive, and seeing to it that Aaron Hotchner stays alive. I also know for a fact that the Las Vegas Crime Lab is second only to the lab at the FBI. So, I have every confidence in my team here to help get this figured out. Not to mention that Spencer was on the top Behavioral Analysis Unit team at the FBI.”

Tony glanced at Nick feeling a bit of guilt, and when his Sentinel cocked an eyebrow at him, he knew the older man felt it through their strengthening bond. “Nick, when you brought up something earlier, I didn’t mention that I already knew about it, and I’m sorry. I’m used to it being highly confidential, and was a little surprised that you knew.”

Nick just smiled and shrugged. When he didn’t sense any upset through the bond, he gave a soft sigh of relief. “The Elite S&G Protection Unit you mentioned. I’ve worked with them a few times at NCIS, but beyond that my cousin Edward is part of one of their top Teams.”

“S’all new, Doc. No sweat. It’ll take a bit of time for us to get used to each other, and being comfortable with sharing secrets. ‘Specially for you when it comes to things that are confidential. I think I can safely speak for Greg and say that we understand there are things from your past with that agency you worked for that will always have to be kept secret.”

Tony nodded and felt himself relax a bit again. “I want Edward’s team brought here to Vegas to assist with protecting the four of us. I’m not keeping my status a secret. That’s obviously been tried more times than is sane and has been proven over and over to be ineffective. I’m not sure telling the world will work either, but at least it’s new. It’s also going to make someone think twice about killing me when the whole world knows I exist. I would recommend that whatever Swing SentinelGuides there are that are alive be notified and it be suggested that they also come out of hiding once I have made my announcement. No one should have to live their lives as if they should be ashamed of who or what they are.

“As I said earlier, I also want to know where Aaron Hotchner is, and I want him brought here to Vegas. I want Edward informed, and I want another team assigned specifically to Hotchner until he can protect himself. I want all the information that you people have on the deaths of every Swing SentinelGuide as far back as you have records for.”

“I have a question,” Spencer said softly, and Tony turned his attention to the Guide sitting next to him. “How have you all managed to keep the Swing SentinelGuides a secret all these years? I mean, there are records of Sentinels and Guides going back as far as there is recorded history.”

“Mostly by humanity being horrible to each other,” Jim offered quietly. His previous attitude seemingly put away. “There have over the centuries been mass killings of Swings that got recorded as other things. Mostly because those responsible or those in charge at the time didn’t want to admit to what they allowed to happen. Events like the Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials were targeting Swings specifically. Then because Swings are typically rarer, events like The Civil War, The French and the American Revolutions, World Wars I & II and The Black Death took a huge toll on their numbers.

“There have been numerous times throughout history that Swings were killed in large numbers, but it went unreported due to people’s fears or prejudices. At some point, they just stopped coming forward, and their existence was only known to people like Blair and me in positions of authority. It’s one of the reasons why Gibbs didn’t want Aaron to come forward. He knew how unkindly history had treated people like Aaron and was trying to make sure there wasn’t a repeat.”

Tony sighed and cursed Gibbs stubborn need for privacy inside of his head. “Except, this is a different time than any of those periods. The fact that conspiracy nut jobs have always whispered about Swings being real meant they were never totally a secret. Beyond all of that in this day and age when smartphones with cameras are becoming more popular, and social media sites like Twitter are becoming more widely used there’s something to be said for there being a safety by being in the public eye.”

“It’s harder to kill someone that the whole world is watching,” Greg agreed softly, and Jim tilted his head to one side giving the appearance of reluctant agreement.

Tony watched the older Sentinel look at his Guide before Blair just nodded and took over. “Whatever you want, Tony. Like I said before, what we’re doing isn’t working, and I want these deaths to stop.”

“Shit is changing,” Tony said firmly eyeing Blair specifically. “I don’t know everything that went on before now, but I can assure you that no one is treating me like a second-class citizen, or that I should be ashamed of who I am. They’re also never going to separate one mate from another for some bullshit protection excuse ever again. I don’t give a fuck who I have to go through, but I will not allow it to happen anymore.”

Blair just nodded, and after studying Spencer a few long moments, he spoke once more. “Why don’t we take Spencer with us? We’ll take him to Aaron. That will give the three of you time together.”

“No,” Tony said immediately and saw Ellison stiffen quickly.

“I’m not trying to be insulting,” Tony said softly. “I literally can’t stand the thought of Spencer being out of my area of protection until I know he’s got someone either myself or Edward to protect him.”

“He already sees Spencer as Pack,” Greg threw out trying to help calm the agitation swirling around the room.

“Aah,” Blair offered nodding. “In that case, I’ll contact Edward tonight, and have him send a team to escort him here. He’s at Honolulu Hospital listed as a John Doe at the moment.”

Tony narrowed his eyes and wanted to growl, but just barely held it in. “Call whomever you need and tell them that the 5-0 Task Force will be taking over his protection until they get there.”

“Just how are you gonna manage that?” Jim asked once more crossing his arms across his chest.

“Danny Williams and I have been friends since childhood. We met at summer camp. All I have to do is call him and they’ll take over. I trust them a hell of a lot more than whomever you have watching him now. Steve McGarrett was one hell of a fucking SEAL, and there’s no way anyone’s getting past him to Aaron. So, make the call. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need our privacy. I need time with my new Sentinel and Guide, and Spencer just needs time to himself without crazy people around.”

Blair nodded before standing. Tony was glad that the Pinnacle Prime Guide understood his need to have his… Pack, and didn’t that sound funny in his head, to himself for a while. Quickly, the duo was gone, and Tony was heading to the backyard to give Danny a call. The sooner he got that done, the sooner he could lock himself in Nick and Greg’s bedroom with the two men and get down to some cuddling time. Because dammit he needed a fucking hug. He was pretty sure that he’d earned it.

# Chapter Five: Getting to know each other

Early the next morning found Tony in the back yard alone lying in a lounge chair he’d found watching the stars faded as the sun rose. “Scoot over,” he heard and moved before looking up to see who was joining him.

He didn’t even bother to try and hide his smile when Greg lay down on his side next to him putting his head on Tony’s shoulder. “What’re you doin’ out here instead of in bed?”

“I dunno,” Tony admitted softly as he ran his hand through Greg’s spiky locks that were free of product at the moment. “The house feels wrong or… something.”

“We c’n move to your place,” Greg offered, and Tony puzzled it for a few minutes before shrugging.

“Don’t think that would help. Then it would be mine and not Nicks. I don’t…” Tony stopped struggling with the dual battling parts of his brain. The old part that was comfortable and familiar was screaming at him not to reveal any weakness. The new part was prodding him to open up and let these new people see his pain. It was all very confusing and unsettling.

“It feels all too much, too soon, too… everything. I feel like two different people, and I don’t know if I know which way is up anymore.”

“Until you come out here and look at the stars,” Greg guessed, and Tony reluctantly nodded.

“It’s like I have two different people in my head arguing about who I’m supposed to be. One is saying the old me isn’t good enough, and the other is saying the new me can’t be trusted. One me is saying cling to you and Nick and never let you go. The other me is saying that it’s just a trick and eventually you’ll find a way to leave me like everyone else.”

“’We havin’ a pow wow on the lawn?” Nick grumbled dragging the other lounge chair over. Tony watched him fiddle with the arms on both chairs until the two that would be separating the two of them were folded down. He then shoved his right up tight to Tony’s and crawled on.

“It should be expected that there’s gonna be some growing pains, and some difficult adjustments. That whole seamless transition is only real in them romance novels. In the real world, it’s hard blending two people let alone three at the same time that you’re trying to get used to being a whole different person. Give yourself a break.” The Texan scolded as he twined his fingers with Tony’s as the three of them looked up at the sky.

“I know we’re just startin’ this thing, but I think we’re gonna need to get a new place. One big enough for the three of us plus Spencer and Hotchner and whomever they find for their next third eventually. You’re gonna want ‘em close, and honestly, I don’t like the thought of Spencer bein’ away from us even though I jus’ met him. There’s definitely somethin’ building here. A house that big here is gonna cost a pretty penny, but I think it’s necessary.”

Tony fidgeted until Greg lifted his head to look at him with an arched eyebrow until he confessed. “The money part may not be as much of a problem as you’d think.”

“Huh,” was the only reply that Greg gave before the younger man lay down in his previous position.

“I’ve always been close to the Paddington side of my family tree. That’s my mother’s family. When she died, they made sure to stick close to me. They even stepped in a few times when I was a kid, and then when Senior officially kicked me out when I was twelve for callin’ the cops on him in Maui my Uncle Clive took over as my guardian. He let me stay here during the school year in a boarding school but flew me to England during breaks. When he died, he left me half of his estate. My portion was several hundred million pounds.”

Greg lifted his head grinning and wiggling his eyebrows. “So, you’re sayin’ I now have a Sugar Daddy? Sweet! Can we get a Ferrari?”

Tony snorted as he grinned at the Guide’s reaction. Nick was silent though, and when he turned his head to look at him, the older man had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Nick?”

Nick turned his face toward him, and Tony relaxed at the twinkle in his eyes. “I’m tryin’ to work out how to ask for season tickets to go see the Cowboys play without soundin’ greedy. I’m good with your money. Mom and Pops aren’t exactly hurting for cash even with all of us kids. They make good money in what they do, and the ranch pulls in a hefty profit also. Once we each reached of age we were given a portion of the ranch profits. Even though I don’t talk to them much anymore I still bring in that money. I’ve been just throwing it into an account all these years. So, I have a nice bit of cash saved up.”

Greg nodded. “My parents both made a decent living, but we weren’t rich by any means. Papa Olaf was just a simple man back home before he immigrated here. Frankly, with everything else going on, the last thing I give a shit about is that you two have more money than I do. I made a good salary as a lab tech, so I have a pretty decent nest egg that I can use to contribute a little to the pot. All I want is for all of us to be comfortable and to know that Spencer isn’t alone somewhere.”

Tony sighed as he felt some of the weight he’d been carrying slowly dissipate. Pulling Nick’s arm to rest across Greg’s back, Tony closed his eyes and let sleep finally pull him under.

When he woke up, Nick was gone and Greg was fiddling with his phone. He’d moved to lay in his back, but his head was laying on Tony’s shoulder. He’d either gotten up at some point, or Nick had brought things out. Because, not only did he have his phone, but also his sunglasses were on and he had a bottle of water he was sipping up.

Judging by the sun’s location in the sky, Tony guessed it was about10-ish. Experimenting with his new senses, he turned up his hearing slightly to see if he could find Nick inside the house. He heard someone rapidly turning the pages of a book. From the location of the sound and what he knew of Spencer, he guessed that the younger man was reading in his room. He didn’t know what it meant that he could hear through supposed Sentinel proofing and wondered how good the typical isolation room would actually be for him. He then wondered how good they would be for Nick and made a mental note to ask him when he saw him next.

Not hearing him in the house, Tony gradually turned up his hearing to try and locate the man. When Greg rolled and took his hand, he guessed that the younger Guide had figured out what he was doing. “Easy at first,” he heard, which confirmed his guess. Eventually, he located his Sentinel by the sound of his heartbeat, which he’d memorized the night before after they made love. From the rhythmic pounding that sounded like Nick’s footsteps, he guessed that the older man was running. He wasn’t sure yet how to tell how far away he was and added it on his list of things to figure out.

“I gotta nother mile if it’s ok,” he heard and recognized Nick’s voice.

“That’s fine,” Tony said easily and felt a flare of awe that he was having a conversation with the other man who was well beyond the borders of the property. “I was just experimenting. Out of curiosity. How far are you away from the house?”

“’Bout 5 miles. I try to hit 6 miles three days a week when work lets me.”

Tony brightened at that, because it had been a while since he’d had a running partner. “Awesome! You mind if I join you in the future? That’s about what I do. I try to go to the gym ‘bout three times a week too and take Sunday’s off. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a training partner.”

“Sounds like a deal, Hoss,” Nick said, and Tony could feel the excitement from him through the bond. “I’ll see you when I get home, babe. Maybe we can sit down and talk about what we want for a house after we have lunch.”

“Ok,” Tony agreed happily, “I’ll let Greg know.”

“That was kinda weird,” Greg said after Tony relayed the conversation, “and at the same time cool.”

“How far away was he when you asked?”

“Almost five miles!” Tony gushed excited as they got up to go inside. He could feel from the warmth of his face that he’d gotten a slight burn and needed to go inside. When they got inside the house, Greg headed to the kitchen to see what they had for groceries to make breakfast. Tony wanted to get changed out of his pajama bottoms and check on Spencer before joining Greg in breakfast preparations.

Deciding to take a quick shower, Tony sped through cleaning up wanting to rejoin his new mate as quickly as possible. Rummaging around in the medicine cabinet, he found some sunburn aloe cream that he put on his face before heading into the master bedroom and snitching a pair of sweats and a t-shirt of Nick’s to put on. He hadn’t failed to notice that Greg was wearing one of his own OSU t-shirts that he knew had been in the dirty clothes bag in his luggage. He didn’t begrudge the younger man the item though. The t-shirt of Nick’s that he was wearing might possibly be the one the Sentinel had been wearing around the house the night before.

Stepping out of the bedroom after emptying his dirty clothes bag into what appeared to be the other couple’s laundry basket, he headed down the hall. Reaching the guest room where Spencer was holed up, Tony paused and noted that he could hear inside the room and made a mental note to ask how Sentinel proof the room should be. He could hear what sounded like pages of a book turning. From the speed of the sound he guessed the younger man was reading, which gave him another mental note to make sure they worked out a source of pleasure reading for him. Dr. Reid’s abilities were whispered throughout the DC Intelligence community. Never having seen it in action himself, he was guessing that the younger man was reading for pleasure. As the sound of the pages turning was faster than what he himself could read, but not horribly so. Given that Tony read somewhat faster than normal due to his own elevated IQ though it was still an impressive rate.

He then decided to try his Guide abilities and fumbled through seeing if he could get a surface feel of the younger Guide and combine it with say his Sentinel abilities to get a physical read of him at the same time. It was a little awkward at first and he knew that Spencer sensed what he was doing when he felt the man pause and almost mentally stiffen for a second. Tony tried to relay who he was and his intentions. Because he didn’t know what the hell he was doing though, he was mostly working on instinct, and wasn’t sure he’d been successful until he felt the genius relax again and send what felt like feelings of gratitude and affection his way. It was a headrush to say the least. Not only had he managed to use both of his abilities together, but he’d managed to fumble through on his own.

It wasn’t something that he wanted to do all the time, and he certainly needed to talk to Nick and Greg about the two of them training him at least until they got the threat to himself and Hotchner contained. Maybe at that point, he’d see about getting some people in to help him train. Fumbling through sending a combination of affection and protectiveness back to Spencer, Tony finally patted the doorframe to let him know that he was leaving before heading to the kitchen. Once there, he couldn’t help but pause in the doorway to take in the sight before him and explore his growing feelings for one Guide Greg Sanders.

The thought that he would be spending the rest of his life attached to two people whom he hadn’t chosen of his own free will and was somehow cosmically manipulated into caring for was to say the least a little troubling for him. Most of his life had been spent being let down by people that he actually cared for and believed in. People that he’d invested time in and learned about before giving in and letting them inside the closely guarded gates surrounding his psyche. To date, it had mostly been an exercise in futility as mostly the relationships had crashed and burned in the end. The only people that had ever stuck around were the Paddingtons, and sometimes he couldn’t figure out why.

It wasn’t a secret that Senior blamed Tony for his mother’s death, even though he been just a child when she died, and not even there. He’d always expected the Paddington’s to blame him as well, but for some reason they never had. His  
Uncle Clive especially had made a point to make sure that the scared little boy he’d been knew that at least his English family put no blame onto his small shoulders for his mother’s unfortunate death. Given that his father never let him forget how he blamed his only son for her too early death, it had meant a great deal to the child that he’d been.

So, there he was well over 30 years after his mother’s death and receiving absolution from her family for the act, and he found himself strapped for the rest of his life mated with two people that he didn’t know. It should have scared him to death, and he supposed in a way it did. Mostly in the not having control over something that big way though than anything else. Leaning against the doorframe, he stopped to watch Greg who was dancing in his sock covered feet with his back to Tony to some random 80’s era song that he vaguely remembered being called Tainted Love. His lips twitched as the younger man shook his butt as he shimmied across the tile floor. Happy for the distraction, Tony allowed himself to really ponder the man before him.

Anthony DiNozzo, Jr had never made it a secret that he liked the beautiful things in life. He had the money to afford them and didn’t see any reason to settle for less than what he wanted. His apartment had always looked like something that came from the pages of some architectural or design magazine. His clothes had always been designer even before he switched to suits when he left Baltimore. His automobiles had always been either beautifully restored classics or high-priced luxury vehicles. Just because he chose not to let money run his life, didn’t mean he was opposed to using it to make himself more comfortable.

Like the things in his life, the partners he chose to take to bed, regardless of if it was only one time or if it was for repeated performances, had always been equally as beautiful or sexy. Nick Stokes very much fit that bill. There wasn’t physically anything about the man that didn’t trip one of Tony’s triggers. From the sexy drawl to the crinkled grin of his to the toned body of a former college athlete, Nick Stokes was the very picture of sexy. Greg Sanders on the other hand was… cute.

He wasn’t unattractive. It wasn’t like Tony was settling for some troll. He didn’t though have Nick’s level of sexy or even Spencer’s prettiness. He was cute. Not that there was anything wrong with cute, but prior to Greg Sanders cute had never been something Tony would give a second glance unless he’d known them long enough to be caught by their personality. Usually at that point though he would have backed off, not because they were merely cute, but because his fear of getting too emotionally involved and then let down would kick in. So, while there wasn’t anything wrong with cute, and Tony was perfectly happy to have someone cute on his arm, it just had never been something he’d… done before. However, there was something about Greg that grabbed his attention. Cuteness be damned.

He wasn’t sure what to call it. If they were living in the world of superheroes and mutants he’d call it charm. He wasn’t sure what it would be called in the real world, and maybe charm was still the right word. He wasn’t quite sure, and after a few moments of pondering decided that it didn’t really make a difference. It was that thing people would call “It” because they didn’t have a better word for it. Greg was the kind of guy that walked into a room and just drew attention without people knowing why. Some might chalk it up to his smile. Some might chalk it up to his free to be you and me attitude. Some chalked it up to his Guide aura, but the former NCIS Agent had seen it in enough Sentinels and Mundanes to know that was a bunch of hogwash. Whatever it was though, Greg had it in spades.

It made Tony want to know everything about the man as his eyes remained glued to him as he danced and shimmied around the room. When the younger man finally turned and saw that he was being watched, he just laughed, and Tony couldn’t help but laugh with him. Crossing the room, he was pleased to hear the playlist turn to ol’ blue eyes, and he couldn’t help but let loose one of his happy genuine smiles. “May I have this dance, Guide Sanders?” He asked holding out his hand and received an equally happy smile in return.

“It would be my pleasure, Swing DiNozzo,” Greg agreed before Tony led him around the room as he sang Fly to Me to his partner. When they were done, Tony pulled Greg toward him for a kiss that was interrupted with a clap and whistle from the doorway. 

Pulling back, he blushed slightly seeing Nick standing there looking sweaty and smiling himself. “Well, sounds like you’re holdin’ out on us, Doc. Those’re some singin’ chops that you have on you. Can you play anythin’ too, or do you jus’ sing?”

Tony felt Greg settle happily into his side as he answered shyly. He didn’t normally sing or play for others. His father had been scornful of his talents, and mocked his abilities calling him a sissy boy. The only ones who could usually draw him out were his Paddington relatives, and then usually only within the safety of Paddington Castle.

“I play guitar and piano both, and sometimes I write my own music. I have a baby grand piano that was my mother’s and her grandmother’s before her. It’s one of the few good things I have of mom’s. I definitely will want a room for my piano when we find a new place. I umm…. I hope you don’t mind I bothered some clothes.”

“They look good on you,” Nick said. His voice growing slightly husky as he came into the kitchen to get a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge. “I can see college ball’s gonna get interesting around here though. I didn’t make the connection before… You’re the DiNozzo that played football and basketball from Ohio State back in the day right? The one that was supposed to go pro before he got hurt?”

“Guilty,” Tony said with a grin and looked at the college ring on Nick’s hand. “And you were a running back for Texas A&M right? Everyone was hoping we’d play each other my sophomore year. You guys had that killer QB that year.”

“Yeah, then we got robbed,” Nick groused good naturedly as he finished his drink and threw the empty bottle in the recycling bin. “We got anything for breakfast?”

“Just barely,” Greg said as he moved back to the counter. “I found the stuff to throw together a breakfast casserole, but we really need to go to the store. I was thinking that we could make a list and I’d go. Maybe I’ll see if Spencer wants to come along and get anything. He left a note that he’d like to go somewhere to buy some books.”

“He loves to read,” Tony said casually as he thought about Spencer’s needs. “It was one of the things that came up about him when I asked around about him and Hotchner after Gibbs’ death. That and he likes to write letters. You might take him somewhere that he can get some good stationary or something, too. I keep meaning to ask him if there’s anyone back in DC he wants to contact. I know he’s the Godfather to one of his former co-worker’s sons. I would guess at the very least he’d like to write Henry.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Nick said as he headed back out of the room. “Tony and I can hang here and get to know each other. We haven’t had a chance to chat yet. I’m gonna go take a shower. I’ll stop by Spencer’s room and see if he wants a plate or if he’s gonna come join us.”  
  


Tony watched the man leave before turning back to Greg, who was digging through a drawer. When he pulled out a pad of paper and pencil, Tony wandered over to help him with the list. “If you get stuff to make pasta noodles, I’ll be happy to cook tonight.”

“We have some lasagna noodles in the pantry,” Greg said, but when he stopped suddenly, Tony guessed it was from the evil eye he was giving him.

“I am Italian,” Tony said with a playful huff. “We do not use dried pasta. That shit will be banned from here on out. Fresh pasta is easy to make and tastes better to boot.”

Greg’s lips twitched, and Tony could tell the younger man was trying not to laugh at him. “Are you a pasta snob?”

“Yes,” Tony said and looked pointedly at the expensive bag of coffee beans on the counter next to the grinder. “Those who buy Molokai Coffee that comes in at around $51 a pound should not be throwing words like pasta snob around.”

Greg just laughed as he held up his hands before turning back to his list. “Ok! Fair point. No snobs of any kind here. Just discriminating connoisseurs for our chosen addictions. Now come over here and tell me what you need. I have a few specialty shops I can go to if I don’t find it at the super market I go to. I hope it isn’t too soon for Spencer to go out in public.” And with that Greg was off rambling happily as Tony learned that he was not the only one in the house who knew how to fill silence.

A couple hours later found Greg heading off to fill the cupboards and get the things Spencer needed in Nick’s SUV. Spencer decided that he wasn’t ready to leave the house yet but found a book store that would let him put in an online order for books and stationary. Everything else he needed was easy to put on Greg’s shopping list. The genius had tried to apologize, but they’d all understood and told him that there was no need. Nick and Tony could still have their time together as Spencer would be in his room the whole time anyway.

So, Tony found himself settled on the couch with Nick watching a baseball game. Given that it was his least favorite major sport, he was finding his attention wandering from where the Rangers, Nick’s favorite team, were playing the A’s to his other mate. Of his two new mates, the Texan seemed like he was the one Tony would be able to relate to the easiest, and have more, initially at least, in common with.

Aside from both of them playing college football and being in fraternities, they’d also spent time as cops before moving onto something else. It was nice to know there was someone around who would understand the cop side of his personality. When Nick turned the TV off and turned toward him, Tony lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to watch the game?”

“I can watch the Rangers anytime,” Nick replied easily with a shrug. “It isn’t like there’s a lack of baseball games. They play a ton of them and the season lasts like forever. Besides, you don’t seem awfully into it, and the point was for you and I to spend some time together. You seem like you have somethin’ you wanna ask. I figure this is the time.”

Tony rested the side of his head on the couch back as he studied Nick a moment before replying. “I don’t want to upset you.”

Nick seemed unconcerned about that and just gave another shrug. “If it’s gonna happen it’s gonna happen. Now’s as good a time as any with us bein’ alone and all. Maybe it makes me sound like a macho prick, but I’d rather get upset when it’s just you and I than when Spencer and Greg are here, too.”

Tony turned the statement over and eventually nodded understanding what Nick meant. Sometimes it was hard to get over instincts as strong as a Sentinel’s which would push Nick to do anything to avoid seeming weak in front of two Pure Guides. “I see you came online later in life. Kinda like me. I was wondering if you’d tell me about it.”

Nick initially just sighed but turned a little more to imitate Tony’s position so that they were both comfortable as they looked at each other. “I never thought I would come online. I mean, the center said that I’d been too damaged to ever trust a Guide enough to do it. When I was a kid I had a babysitter, who was a pretty good strength Guide who…. Who molested me. She used her Guide abilities to make me easier to control and shit. I was too scared for a long while to tell Mamma and Cisco ‘cause I was afraid they’d be disappointed in me.

“So, by the time they found out the center said that she’d done quite a lot of damage, and they thought I’d gone permanently Dormant. Then a few years ago I got kidnapped. It was I guess the end of a whole list of crappy things that happened starting off with some chick holding a gun on me, then I got stalked and tossed out a window. When I got kidnapped I kinda lost it. Like really lost it. I was really claustrophobic for a long while. Closed in spaces still aren’t my favorite thing. When they rescued me… Well, I kinda think Grissom thought maybe I was his Sentinel. He was the first one I focused on when they got me out, and when they realized I was online I think everyone assumed that I was his mate. But, thing is I’ve never looked at Gris like that.”

Nick paused and picked up his bottle of water from the coffee table taking a long drink before putting it back and continuing. “It took them a few days to figure out who my Guide was ‘cause I didn’t get to see Greg right away. I mean, at that point we were mostly friends, but not real super close. I was a lot closer to Warrick and even Sarah in some ways than I was Greg. I like him ok, but I mostly thought he was weird and didn’t understand him. I guess looking back I can admit that I was attracted to him, but I thought our personality differences were too big for it to go anywhere.

“Then one day he came in after his shift to see me, and it was like someone had turned on the lights again. I’d mostly been feeling like I was still stuck in that fuckin’ box with the ants crawling all over me and just wishing I could make it stop. I hadn’t been able to really get my senses under control no matter who they brought in. The doctors were getting desperate enough they were thinkin’ of calling Blair, but then suddenly Greg was there, and everything was just good again.”

Nick paused and shook his head as if he could fling the bad memories away. Reaching out, Tony took his hand and squeezed it in support. “I thought that’d be the end of it, and everything would be peaches an’ cream from there. Only then Mamma freaked out that Greg wasn’t the right kinda people, whatever that means. Cisco was upset that my Guide was a man, even if he was trying to hide it. When Mamma suggested that they could find a much better match for me, I snapped. Told ‘em to leave and not come back until they could accept my Guide. Found out later both of my older brothers and one of my sisters had let them influence their mate selection. Couple of my sisters went so far as to let Mamma and Cisco set up an arranged pairing for them like we’re livin’ in the 1800’s or some shit. I didn’t even know they still did crap like that. I mean, I love my family, but I’ve never let anyone tell me who to be or how to live my life. So, they went back to Texas and I haven’t seen either of them since.

“The younger of my older brothers comes to see me, and one a my sisters tries to keep in contact when she can and not get caught. The rest of them though are pretty pissed that I defied Mamma and Cisco. It’s just not done in our house.

Greg doesn’t like talkin’ about it so I’ll tell you he don’t talk to his parents much either, but for different reasons. His mamma practically put him in a bubble when he was a kid. Smothered the shit out of him and said he was too delicate because he was a Guide. He tries sometimes ‘cause they’re still his mamma an’ daddy. He was always closer to his Nanna and Papa Olaf. When they passed, he was devastated. It’s a shame that you won’t get to meet them. They were a hoot, and obviously loved him. How ‘bout you? Are you close to your family?”

Shaking his head, Tony told Nick about Senior and his mom dying and all the things that happened while she’d been alive. “Fortunately, when she passed both of her brothers came to the funeral and told Senior that they’d be keeping a close eye on him and expected to see me on occasion. I know they stepped in a few times when Senior got too out of hand, and then when he disowned me after he forgot me in Maui, Uncle Clive took over Guardianship of me. Senior showed up a couple of times at NCIS like nothing had happened. He’s still the same drunken con-man that he was when I was a kid though. If we’re lucky he’ll stay the hell away. Edward’s presence will certainly help that. Senior is scared shitless of Edward and mom’s oldest brother George.”

“I’m glad you had someone,” Nick said softly before yawning. “I think a nap sounds awesome. How ‘bout you?” Quickly, Tony agreed and followed his Sentinel to the bedroom. When Greg came home and found them together, he let them be. After taking pictures to show the lab later, of course. **  
**

# Chapter Six: Return to Work

Two weeks later, Tony was sitting in Ecklie’s office comparing notes with what he’d been told happened while he was gone with what had been officially reported. The Trio were scheduled to start back to work later that same day, and he needed to touch base with the Undersheriff before the beginning of his shift. There were decisions that needed to be made. Some much more difficult than others.

“Tony, thank you for coming in to see me,” Conrad said and Tony nodded smiling. He knew the reputation that Ecklie had as an uncaring hardass. Fortunately, Tony was an expert at dealing with such individuals, and because of that had so far gotten along just fine with the man.

“No problem,” Tony replied taking a sip of his coffee. “I’d planned on touching base with you anyway, and doing it before shift start makes sense.”

Conrad smiled and nodded as he seemed to settle in his chair more comfortably. “How’s the new house? Did you all get everything set up the way you want it?”

Tony nodded enthusiastically. He was absolutely in love with their new house. It was built in a Classic Colonial style, which was unusual for the area they were in, but Tony’d immediately fell in love the first time he’d seen it. The property was quite a bit larger than what they’d been looking for, but beyond their property was nothing but a vast expanse of wild desert. They were going to spend a fortune on electricity paying for the air conditioning, but it was completely worth it.

The home was two stories with a basement, and several outbuildings. It looked more like something that belonged in New England than in Nevada, but Tony had been enchanted by the building. One of the outbuildings was actually a guesthouse, and the trio had immediately declared that it would belong to Spencer and Aaron.

Thinking of the genius gave him a pang of worry, but quickly he felt soothing vibes sent along the bond he shared with Greg and Nick, which helped settle him. Their fellow Packmate was safely ensconced in Honolulu with the 5-0 team. During the day he spent his time with Aaron in the Swing's room reading to him or just telling him what was going on in the world. at night, he was staying at Lt Commander McGarrett's house. A member of 5-0 was with each of them at all times. it was the best solution that Tony had until they could find the right place for Aaron in Vegas. Where that was, they would not know until Tony had time to talk things out with his cousin once the Elite Protection Team arrived that evening.

"The house is wonderful," Tony gushed turning his thoughts back to a happier subject. "I am more thankful than ever for the money my Uncle Clive left me when he died. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to get things done so fast. I hear there was an issue while I was gone between Catherine and Warrick over who was running the shift?"

Undersheriff Ecklie nodded sighing. "I appointed Warrick temporary supervisor as per our discussion over the phone given that Nick wasn't available, obviously. By the way, he has started attending his mandatory sessions for his gambling addiction as per your order. Anyway, Catherine was less than thrilled about the decision, needless to say, and made her displeasure known. Warrick asked that I let him handle it, and promised me that he'd contact me if he couldn't deal with the situation. There was apparently an incident at a crime scene yesterday, and he called me to let me know he wanted her sent home because she was trying to cause a disruption with the other shift members. I talked to the two of them and the officers on the scene and quickly agreed with his request. She is to be coming in today to find out what is going to happen as a result."

Conrad sighed and took a sip from his coffee mug before continuing. "Honestly, I am highly disappointed in her. She's letting Sam's prejudice ruin her career. I've always known Catherine to be a good woman. While it is true that she's incredibly headstrong, she's never let it get in the way this much before. The Sherrif and I reviewed that course that you suggested we set up that your friend runs, and we agree that it would be good for not just lab members but for the PD as a whole. We also would like to see you add two more members to your team, and one of them to be your co-SIC along with Nick. Warrick advised me that he doesn't want to be put in a lead position again, and Sarah advised me she also wasn't interested at this time. I think that with yourself, Nick, and Greg being a bonded pairing that your shift will need extra people on it."

Tony nodded making a note on his phone. "I will look into it, and I think you are right. Nick and I had already discussed he may need to step down from the position, but I like the idea of having two SICs long with a couple new team members. From what I have seen of this team's case load, they are almost always running more cases per person than I would like to see. I will review the details of the incident last night, and then talk to Warrick as soon as he comes in. My initial thought depending on the severity of the incident that there be a suspension and that the training courses will need to be completed before she comes back if Warrick's Sentinel status was a factor. That of course depends on how she handles this talk. I’ll be honest. I am done being patient with her. If she comes in with attitude, then she may just very well find herself unemployed."

"It was," Conrad said sighing. "Catherine basically accused Warrick of fabricating evidence because he rightly wanted to use his Sentinel abilities on the scene. It's something that we're authorized to do, and he's been licensed as being ranked high enough to use his enhanced eyesight and hearing in the field. She raised such a fuss that the officers on the scene had to come in and separate them because they were afraid that she was going to attack him, Warrick for his credit had refused to engage her beyond ordering her off of the scene. Brass was there and told me that he was afraid for a second that they were going to have to physically remove her."

Tony sighed and ran a hand over the back of his neck as he considered the situation. "This isn't good, Conrad," Tony commented frustrated. "Forget the Second in Command position. If she's going to act like that, I can't even allow her onto a crime scene. Surely this isn't the first time that either Nick or Warrick have wanted to use their enhanced senses at a scene before. If I recall from when I reviewed their personnel files, both Sentinel CSIs have licenses to use all or part of their enhanced senses at scenes, and Hodges is licensed to use his enhanced smelling and taste both in the lab and to be called into the field as a Sentinel Specialist if needed."

"That would be correct," the Undersheriff confirmed. "We use the enhanced senses all the time in the field while collecting evidence or to assist with talking to witnesses and victims. Brass came to see me last night. Apparently, Catherine's getting a lot of pressure from Sam not to give in. He's even trying to convince her that she needs to sue, which is ludicrous, and she won't win. So, I hope that she doesn't go through with it. The law is very definitely on our side in this, every law enforcement agency in the country requires minimum S&G training to be hired. Frankly, I don't know how she got in without it. I have a feeling that Grissom was involved in it though."

Tony shook his head and suspected from what the former Lead had told him that Conrad's guess was the truth. "Well, she's not going to get away with it any longer. You are correct that the law is on our side. One of the areas I specialized in for my Criminal Justice degree was S&G law as it relates to law enforcement. I will talk to Warrick and the Catherine. As long as Warrick's statement matches what you've told me then she will be placed on indefinite suspension until she completes a series of training, which will now be added to from the original list. I feel for her. I know what it's like to be manipulated by your father, but she's a grown woman. I can't allow her attitude to put cases and team members at risk because she won't stand up to her daddy. If she walks out of the lab without a job though I also won’t be surprised. I’m going to go in hoping for the best, but be prepared to have to deliver the worst. I have to look out for what is best for the lab, and at the moment she isn’t it."

Conrad nodded and held out his hand as Tony stood. "I agree with your assessment Dr. DiNozzo. Let me know if you need my assistance further, but I have nothing but faith that you'll get this all worked out satisfactorily."

Tony was in his office talking quietly with Greg and Nick when Warrick knocked on the doorframe and walked in. “You wanted to see me, Boss?”

Tony nodded and waved him in as Nick and Greg made their excuses, and then left patting Warrick’s shoulder on the way out shutting the door behind them. “Please, have a seat. I need to get your account of what happened yesterday at the scene. I’d also like to hear your thoughts on how things went while I was gone.”

Warrick let out a deep sigh as he took a seat in front of his new boss’ desk. “Man, I don’t wanna do that, again. I have a new appreciation for you and Gris after that let me tell you. Seriously man, I don’t know how you do it.”

Tony smiled as he settled back into his chair. “Leadership has its good points and it’s ‘why the hell am I doing this, again?’ moments. That is for sure. Let’s start with the issue last night so that we can get it out of the way.”

Warrick nodded and began explaining things from his viewpoint. “Catherine and I were at a scene in one of the suburbs investigating the death of the single male homeowner. It appeared that he had been killed in his living room, and that there was a struggle. As I was processing my area, I kept hearing a ticking sound from the other side of the room where Catherine was. When I would ask her about it she kept saying there was no ticking, and it must be in my head. I wanted to use my enhanced hearing that I am licensed to use on scenes to track the sound down, and I need her to be my witness that I wasn’t doing anything shady. And, that’s where it went crazy!”

Warrick shook his head in obvious confusion and disgust as his mouth turned down into a frown. “The thing is we’ve done this probably a hundred times or more. She watches me do my thing, and makes some comment about me playing games. I find the evidence, and then she finds some way to justify how it’s something other than my Sentinel senses. It’s annoying, but Nick and I are both used to it by now. For some reason though this time she chose to take serious issue with the whole thing.

“She started bitching that she knew how to do her job, and that she didn’t need me coming in behind her looking over her shoulder now that I was Team Lead. And, I needed to remember that once ‘that super freak with the degrees’ returned with Nick and Greg that I’d be knocked down to being a nobody again just like her.”

Warrick ran a hand over his mouth before continuing. “When I tried to reason with her, she just… I don’t even know, Boss. It just kept getting worse no matter what I said or didn’t say. At some point Brass and the two officers on the scene came in, and Brass ordered her to get her shit together. That didn’t help though, because given that he’s a low level 2 sense Sentinel she just accused him of being part of the conspiracy against her.”

Tony cocked his head at the last statement, and he began to worry that there was some psychological issue to the whole thing. He decided though that he’d let Warrick finish before he asked questions. “Eventually, Brass ordered the officers to escort her off of the scene, and called one of the stand by CSIs to come help me. While we waited, he watched me as I tracked the ticking sound, and found a high-end men’s watch hidden behind a table and underneath a floor length curtain out of view. We think it must have gotten thrown or something, hit the wall and landed on the table.

“There was evidence to suggest that the table was bumped at some point, because there was a lamp and a couple glasses that were turned over. I think the watch most likely at that point slid off the table and fell onto the floor behind the curtain. Where it landed, you couldn’t see it, and had to move the table to get to it. I’m sure Catherine would have gotten around to it, but…” Warrick broke off at that point, and just shook his head again.

Having decided he’d heard enough, Tony spoke up. “A couple things. First off, you and Nick should not have to ‘get used to’ someone mocking your abilities. I don’t even know how someone who works in a laboratory could not believe something that has been scientifically proven. This isn’t some theoretical mumbo jumbo like is Bigfoot real. This is actual proven fact, and the mocking and bullshit will be ending. I will not allow an environment where people are treated like that. It only fosters hidden resentment that will eventually blow up in all of our faces.

“Secondly, Brass and the two officers on the scene all complimented how you handled the situation, and I wanted you to know that you have my thanks for keeping things professional in the face of that mess. I have some questions I would like to ask you, because you know Catherine better than I. If you don’t want to answer, I will understand.”

Warrick nodded his understanding and Tony proceeded with his first inquiry. “I am concerned by the comment Catherine made about there being a conspiracy against her. Do you think that she was just throwing that out there, or does she really believe that there’s a plot in the lab against her?”

Warrick sighed. “I like Catherine. Probably a lot more than is wise, or than I should, but fortunately, not enough to act on it and make a really stupid mistake. Enough so, though, that we’ve spent quite a bit of time hanging out in the off hours. I know everyone blames her issue with Sentinels and Guides on Sam Braun, but they forget that he wasn’t around when she was a kid.

“She didn’t even know he was her father until she was a teenager and almost out of high school. While she did have contact with him before that it was only on occasion, so I can’t see how he had a huge impact on this. Not to mention that I’ve heard her tell Sam off when she feels that he’s wrong. No, personally I think this issue is more from her mother, whom she is incredibly close to.”

Warrick scratched his chin and resettled in his chair before going on. “I’ve met her mom a few times, and to say the woman doesn’t like me is putting it nicely. At first, I thought that she was racist, but lately I am wondering if this whole thing is because her mom doesn’t like Sentinels and Guides. ‘Cause while everyone knows Sam isn’t fond of them, he employs Sentinels and Guides in his casino willingly even. From what I’ve heard he won’t hire a head of security that isn’t at least a 4 sense Sentinel, and he prefers Guides to be working the tables so they can feel if someone is cheating.”

Warrick shifted in the chair, Tony assumed to get more comfortable, as he could see the CSI stretching out. “So, it seems to me that he’s willing to put his personal bullshit aside for business, and I can’t see him wanting Catherine to tank her career over a group of people he readily employs. Now, how he treats those Sentinels and Guides is a whole other thing, and honestly, I can’t see him even wanting to be in the same room as you without his personal security there. I think to be honest that Catherine doesn’t know what she thinks or feels about Sentinels and Guides. Some days she seems almost completely on board about the whole thing, and then some days she will barely even admit they’re real and treats them like unicorns. I do think though that if she truly believed that her job was going to be in danger that she would pull her head out and at least be on board enough to be civil about it. I umm…”

Tony arched an eyebrow at the other man at the pause and what felt like a change in the subject. “After the… after Holly died, Grissom did chew my ass. So, when you brought it up again after all this time I wasn’t… happy. I want you to know though that I get it. Maybe more now after being in charge of this place at night for the last few weeks, but I get it. I won’t be giving you a hard time about it.”

Tony eyed the man on front of him thoughtfully, and after a few minutes of contemplation decided to let him in on a few things. “When I got out of college, I went directly into the Peoria Police Academy. I then spent the next six years and some change working in three different PDs. I started out in Peoria, but eventually moved to Philadelphia PD where I did undercover work. I ended up having to leave there because it was found that the Police Chief and his three most senior captains were getting paid off by the Vicca mob family that I was investigating. I had to leave Baltimore PD when I found out that my partner was dirty and taking bribes from another mob family.

"When I was at NCIS, my boss Gibbs got amnesia for a while and I had to lead the team. The director refused to do anything about the reprimands I wrote up for my team members when they came in late, left early, or refused to follow commands. She then tried to get me to work an unsanctioned undercover job at the same time, until I told her I would quit and take everything I knew straight to SecNav. My father is a conman and a criminal and I despise everything he is and represents. You are still on my team because Grissom stuck up for you. He assured me that you had learned your lesson, and asked me to give you a chance. So, I am doing that. Prove him right, and I will fight to the death for you. Pull any BS like you did that cost Holly her life and I will personally see to it that you're put behind bars."

After Warrick nodded his understanding, Tony asked one final question, "Are you sure about not wanting a Co-SIC position with Nick?"

"Yeah, man," Warrick assured. "That shit is crazy. I'm not ready to be in charge of anything yet. Besides, I am hoping one of these days that I'll find my Guide, and I think that I want to keep my options open, ya know?"

Tony nodded smiling. "I do, and I respect your decision. Should you change your mind, please let us know."

Instead of answering right away, Warrick stood and held out his hand. "Thank you for the chance, Dr. DiNozzo."

"You're welcome," Tony offered as he stood and shook the man’s hand. After the CSI left, Tony sat back down and began his review of the current case files. Several hours later, after the reviews were done, and new assignments were passed out, Tony was reviewing some cold case files when he heard someone come into his office. From the scent of the perfume, he guessed that it was Catherine before looking up to see who had come in.

"Ms. Willows," Tony greeted, settling back in to his chair, again. "Please shut the door, and have a seat."

"What for? Just tell me whatever bullshit punishment that you're going to dish out so that we can get on with this," she spat back and he forced himself to take a deep breath and hold onto his temper.

"This can go two ways, CSI Willows," Tony began calmly but firmly. "You can take a seat, be civil, and we can have a discussion, or you can turn in your resignation, and the Las Vegas Crime Lab will wish you luck on your future endeavors. Let me make myself very clear though. I will not tolerate your attitude. You're no better than anyone else in this lab. I absolutely will not apologize for getting this position instead of you. I busted my ass to get here just as much as you did..."

"Yeah right," Catherine sneered. "Poor little rich boy who's ridden daddy's coat tails his whole life."

"And, frankly, I don't care if you believe it or not," Tony continued on as if she hadn't spoken. He wasn't going to get sucked into her name calling game. "Sit and talk, or leave and find yourself another job. Those are your only choices here. While I have some sympathy for you, it's really not enough that I am willing to put up with the abuse you are heaping on me and your coworkers because of your deliberate ignorance. Sit. Leave. Decide now."

Opening a folder, he slid a piece of paper toward the front of the desk. "Should you choose to leave, please sign that first. It's your termination papers, as well as your acknowledgement that you've been advised that your anti-Sentinel and Guide actions will be reported to the S&G Center. From that point they will be made available to any future employer who inquires with them about any negative actions on your part toward the Community."

"Whatever," Catherine snorted as she came forward and signed the paper. "You're not the only game in town, and your threats don't scare me. You're nothing more than a playboy who's sweet talked his way into this position. When they figure out what a con you are they'll come and beg me to come back. I won't be gone long."

With that the woman stomped out, and Tony was left to stare after her feeling like he'd failed somehow. It was absolutely not the resolution he wanted, or even expected given what everyone had told him. Shaking his head, he put the form in the folder, and woke his computer up. He had some reports to file with the S&G Center.

After the shift was over, Tony was sitting at his desk wrapping up some paperwork. Nick and Greg were sprawled over a couch he'd brought in waiting for him so that the three of them could meet the rest of the team at a local restaurant for a team breakfast. No one had expected Catherine to leave, and Tony felt like they needed something to remind themselves that everyone else was still there.

Just as he was finishing his last report, he heard a knock on his door, and looking up saw Detective Brass standing there. "May I come in?"

Tony nodded and stood to shake the hand of the former shift supervisor that he hadn't had time to meet yet. He knew from his talk with Grissom that the Detective was honest and someone he could put his trust in. Because of this, he had been planning to introduce himself.

"Detective Brass, it's nice to meet you," Tony greeted shaking the man's hand.

"I've heard good things about you so far," Brass acknowledged as he sat in front of the desk. "I wanted to come and make sure that you weren't taking this exit of Catherine's on yourself."

Tony signed and as he tried to figure out what to say. Both Vallo and Caan appeared with Caan in his lap, and Greg's spider monkey on the back of his chair. "I will admit that I feel like somehow I messed something up. Everyone I talked to said that in the end she'd come around, and yet instead I ended up having to file an incident report with the S&G Center and termination paperwork with the crime lab."

"The S&G Center contacted me about your report because I am a Sentinel and was listed as a witness. I agreed with your assessment that there was some outside stress and possibly parental manipulation contributing to her actions. I also saw that her paperwork listed her as having left voluntarily, and that she was eligible for rehire under certain conditions. Catherine is a good woman and was Grissom's right hand for years. She knew how to play the political game better than anyone, and would absolutely not be driven off any path she'd chosen to follow. This was not your fault, so cut out the bullshit guilt. You’ve done everything you could to do the best for both her and your team. Frankly, you were a hell of a lot kinder to her than I would have been."

"We've been trying to tell him that for an hour, Brass," Nick pointed out, and Brass just shrugged keeping his eyes on the new Team Lead.

"Doctor DiNozzo and I had a common friend," Brass admitted offering a sad smile. "And, if I know Leroy Jethro Gibbs, which I did, I am guessing the good Doctor here will respond best to the blunt approach."

Tony straightened eagerly upon hearing the name of his mentor and brother in every way that really counts. "You knew Gibbs?"

Brass smiled nodding once more. "I did. We went through Basic Training together, and served together on my first tour. He was a damned good man, and the world lost one of its greatest protectors that day. Some morning after shift we'll go out and raise a glass to a hell of a fine Marine."

"And you'll tell me Gibbs stories?" Tony asked eagerly, and Brass chuckled nodding.

"Only if you do the same," Brass negotiated, which Tony was happy to agree to. Without speaking further, the grizzly detective stood and headed out leaving behind a man much happier than he was when the older man arrived.

# Chapter Seven: Help Arrives

When the three mates reached their new home, with Nick driving, the car hadn't even been turned off yet when Tony felt other people on the property. Frowning he looked out both the front window and the various side windows, but didn’t see any other vehicles.

"Do you guys," he started to ask and was immediately cut off by Nick.

"Yeah, you have your weapon on you, right?"

Tony nodded as he slipped out the door on his side as Nick and Greg did the same. He wanted to be irritated at the way Nick seemed to want to protect him as if he were some helpless civilian, but there was something inside of him that not just accepted his Mate’s protective instinct but welcomed it. He wasn’t sure how he felt that his normal instinct was seemingly being overridden by some weird mystical predisposition. It wasn’t the first tendency that he noticed that was counter to his normal personality, and knew that at some point he’d have to examine the changes and decide how he felt about them.

"There's something about one of them," Greg offered quietly as he stood next to his Sentinel to help anchor him as he spread out his senses over the property. “I just can’t quite…”

"Yeah," Nick agreed as his eyes scanned the desert area behind their property. "Almost feels like..."

He stopped speaking when a man came walking around the far side of the wraparound porch at the front of the house. Tony saw his two mates raise their weapons, but he was already putting his in his holster as he began moving across the lawn in long strides.

"It's ok!" He called back, as the man on the porch stepped off and headed his direction. Tony knew the wide grin on the man's face would match the one on his own. "Edward, thank God that you're here."

The two cousins met midway across the lawn with a hug, and Tony felt himself relax. Having someone familiar there, like his cousin, helped make him feel more secure. When the two pulled apart, Nick and Greg had moved to stand near them, and two other men were coming from the direction of the out buildings.

"Edward, these are my mates Sentinel Nick Stokes and Guide Greg Sanders."

He got distracted from the introductions as he heard Brando making a grumbly greeting to someone. Turning his head to find the animal, he saw the large grizzly checking out a smaller sun bear. Dwight was sniffing at what Tony recognized as Edwards polecat Agent P. He heard the roar of a bobcat as it made its presence known before trotting over to size up Brando. Vallo must have determined that Agent P was OK, because he'd appeared to look for bugs to pick from the animal's fur. When he felt Caan twining himself between his legs, Tony belt down to give the cat a scratch behind the ears before it strolled off to sniff at Agent P.

As the two strangers reached their little group, Edward began introductions. "Tony, Nick, and Greg, this is Sentinel Moss Dougal and his bonded Guide, Christian Robertson. We typically just call him CJ though. The other half of the team is in Hawaii getting Aaron transferred to Bennington where Dr. Reid's mother is located at. We felt it was the most secure place for Aaron although we may want to revisit that once everyone is settled. When they come back, Dr. Reid will be accompanying them. It seems that karma is on our side, as two of Dr. Reid's former BAU team members are part of this team. So, Guide Emily Prentiss and Sentinel Derek Morgan have gone to Hawaii along with Sentinel Jasmine Mirandez to escort them back here to Vegas."

"Let's go inside and get comfortable. Then we can lay everything out." Nick suggested feeling prickly about hanging out on the lawn. Feeling his Sentinel's unease, Tony looked to him but saw that Greg had already taken his hand. As they approached the porch, Tony noticed a pile of bags hidden behind the row of bushes, which the protection team picked up on their way inside.

Nick led the newcomers upstairs to show them their rooms, as they indicated they would prefer to stay in the house than be separated from their charges by taking the guest house. Tony and Greg followed them up only long enough to change, and then the two men headed downstairs to get drinks and settle into the study/library combination room. There was a mini fridge in there with water, tea, pop, and beers. Tony grabbed a bottle of peach tea, while Greg grabbed a water for himself and a tea for Nick when he came in. Greg then settled on the couch, while Tony prowled around the room with Brando and Dwight following closely behind him. Caan had stayed outside with Agent P, the Sunbear which was apparently called Yogi, and the cougar which was named after James Dean, but normally just called JD. Vallo had followed them into the library and was bounding between bookshelves and other perches they’d put in there for him, Archimedes, and Aaron’s bald eagle Sam, when the Swing woke up from his coma.

By the time the others made it to the room though, the two animals had herded Tony to a chair near where Greg was with Dwight resting at his feet and Brando sprawled over one side resting his head on Tony's chest.

"Shouldn't the cat be on your lap?" Moss asked coming into the room before heading straight for the windows to keep a watch outside.

"There are drinks in the mini fridge there," Tony offered before answering. "We’ve found that Brando thinks he's a lap dog and likes to sprawl out all over whomever he thinks needs cuddling. Caan thinks he's a mini-lion and is probably stalking something outside."

"Leave it to you to have Spirit Animals with identity issues," Edward quipped as he came in followed by CJ.

Tony arched an eyebrow at his cousin when the man took a chair across from him. "And where is Agent P?"

Edward's lips twitched with amusement as he admitted, "Most likely stalking behind Caan."

"Hmm," was all Tony offered in response drawing a snort from his English cousin. "So, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Agreed," Edward replied nodding for emphasis as he placed a tablet on his lap. "Let's get all our cards on the table, and make sure we all have the same information. T, give us a rundown of things on your side, if you will?"

Tony sighed and then nodded, but didn't respond right away. Instead, he spent several moments running his fingers through Brando's fur and scratching behind his ears trying to decide where to start. He often found it amusing that the Spirit Guide that supposedly represented his Sentinel side was the cuddliest of the two, and the Spirit Guide that supposedly represented his Guide side was more prone to wanting to claw your eyes out before he devoured your face. But then, he’d always been one big mass of conflict and confusion. So, he supposed that it made sense his Spirit Guides would be as well.

"I guess it started just after Director Shepard died. Ziva David and I were assigned to be her protection detail on a trip she was taking to LA for a funeral. Everything went according to plan until the funeral ended. At that point, Director Shepard told us to take the rest of the trip off and asked for the keys to the vehicle."

Tony paused to look down at his water bottle. Jenny's death would always be what he considered his greatest failure. He knew that he'd never be able to completely bury his guilt over not being there. It probably didn’t help that it was the very subject that he was arguing with Gibbs about when the older man died, and that he now knew he’d been able to feel the disconnect between the older man’s words and how he was really feeling when he was shot.

"At some point after that, she met up with Mike Franks and ended up in a shootout at an abandoned diner in the desert. Ziva and I were sent home while the NCIS LA team investigated her killing. I could tell that Gibbs was upset with me when I got back, and since I knew that I was at the very least partially to blame, I gave him a few days before I was going to go to see him. Looking back on things, I think Spencer is correct in that some of my Guide abilities had started to appear and I could faintly feel the difference between what he was saying to me and how he actually felt. Before we could get things settled though, we got called in for a case. We were hurrying across the parking lot to our car to head to the scene, and I was trying to get him to talk so that we could clear the air. I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to go to a crime scene with us not on the same page. He kept telling me that he wasn't mad, but given his past, with Jenny, I found that hard to believe I just didn’t know why I didn’t believe what he was saying at the time. We were arguing about it when..."

Tony stopped and ran a hand over his face feeling Nick's hand on his arm to offer some comfort. Turning his head, he smiled weakly at his Sentinel and felt a burst of comfort come through the bond from Greg. He took an unsteady breath to try and settle his nerves before he continued. "The last thing that he said was my name. I don't think I'll ever get that out of my head. That and the feel of his blood on my face. That's the second time I’ve experienced that and I hope to God that I never feel it again. First Kate and then..."

At that point, Edward cleared his throat seeming ready to offer what he knew. Tony knew that his bond with his cousin was changing in relation to Tony’s own change from Undetermined to Swing, and actually looked forward to a closer connection with the family member that meant the most to him. 

"We have evidence that shows Jennifer Shepard was part of the organization that we believe is responsible for Gibbs's death. We also have evidence that she was to have brought you to the diner so that you could be killed before coming online. We don't know why she didn't for sure. Ashcroft's theory is that she had a moment of clarity. In that moment the person that she was rose above her illness, realized what she was doing, and knew that killing you was wrong. We're not sure why she didn't call off the whole thing, or if Mike Franks knew what the truth was, but we believe that it had something to do with Svetlana Chernitskaya. We also have evidence to show that Ziva David was involved somehow. We just don't know her exact role."

"So, she was..."

"Unlike the US Government who likes to stick its head in the sand and pretend uncomfortable facts they don’t know how to deal with just don’t exist. The British Government recognizes Swing SentinelGuides as do many of the international allies of the US. Unfortunately, we also recognize just how much danger these citizens are in for various reasons that are backed up by numerous historical events, and therefore have chosen to stay silent on the subject. In my opinion, this allows secret factions more power. I also believe that it just puts Swing SentinelGuides in more danger because they don’t have access to various services the Community could offer them. It also leaves them disenchanted and feeling as if the rest of us that are recognized see them as second class to us.

“Jenny Shepard was a part of an international secret faction that targets all in the Community, but specifically Swing SentinelGuides. She specifically participated in a plot that would have resulted in the murder of an offline Swing SeintinelGuide. To be clear, that person who was targeted was you. At the last minute, she had a change of heart, possibly because of her impending death. At a later date, the same faction was responsible for the death of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Aaron Hotchner being shot in front of his Guide." Edward said firmly waiting for his cousin to connect the dots for the death that would truly haunt him forever.

"Fuck! Gibbs?"

Edward nodded carefully and tilted his head to one side knowing he had to continue, but that this was the one part of the story he didn’t want to share. "We believe that you were the true target. Gibbs was concerned that you would be in danger and theorized that whoever was behind the deaths of the Swing SentinelGuides was tracking the Undetermined statuses. We believe he heard something and... Tonio, we think he was saving your life."

Tony felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on him. Jenny Shepard had been out to kill him, and Gibbs had died saving his life. He was responsible for Spencer and Aaron losing their Sentinel.

"There's more, T."

"Jesus Christ, Eddie!"

"I don't know how familiar you are with Spencer and Aaron's team or their original True Sentinel, but the BAU tangled with a serial killer named Frank Breitkopf. He was a psychopath serial killer and abductor who liked to make people watch as he cut them open and remove their rib bone. We have evidence to suggest that he had targeted previous potential Swings. Ashcroft himself found evidence that shows he was paid off to prevent Jason Gideon from changing his mind about his True Mates. He had informed a few people that he was regretting his previous decision just before Frank popped up onto the BAU's radar."

"What are you saying?" Greg asked speaking up for the first time since they'd moved inside.

"We believe that Breitkopf was hired by this group to drive Jason Gideon to the point where he would no longer be able to bond with Aaron and Spencer. The bonding would have already been difficult due to the extent of damage done during Jason's first breakdown. At this point, it's impossible. Jason Gideon is now Dormant, and unable to form any kind of bond with a Guide or a Swing SentielGuide."

"How do you have all of this information?" Nick asked scratching behind one of Brando's ears absentmindedly as he tried to process what he was hearing. He was seriously concerned about the emotional feel of his Swing that Greg was relaying to him through their bond. Everything that came before the information about Gibbs’ death was bad enough. However, to find out that he was in some way responsible for the death of the man he called brother was too much. Unfortunately, because their bond was so new, Nick wasn’t sure that he knew how to help.

"I have been working on the Swing SentinelGuide deaths since I moved from MI6 to join the S&G Center after my friend Alec Trevelyan was mentally manipulated and then killed by this group. Tony and I’s cousin Ashcroft is the Quartermaster at MI6 and works on this with me along with their top agent 007. My current team was formed exclusively to put an end to what is going on."

When Tony moved to get up, Brando made a sound of worry but moved regardless to allow the Swing to stand. The others watched as the former NCIS agent left the room. When the front door slammed, Moss hurried to follow the Swing outside. When Greg got up to follow, Edward shook his head slightly looking sad.

"I would give him some time. I am not trying to interfere in your relationship, and there will be no hard feelings if you feel that you need to follow him anyway. Anthony generally needs some time alone to lick his wounds before he is willing to receive any kind of comfort. Especially when he feels he was in the wrong and caused the ill deed. This revelation about Gibbs will hit him hard. I wish I hadn’t had to tell him that bit of information, but to hold it back would have put him in a greater danger."

"So, do you think that these people are still targeting Tony?" Nick asked as Greg scooted over to curl up into his body when Nick slipped into the seat Tony had vacated.

"I do," Edward confirmed as CJ moved to the window where Moss had been so that he could watch the front lawn area.

"In fact, I feel so strongly about it that I have had CJ and Moss here in Las Vegas since the day after Anthony came online. They have been watching the three of you when you were all together, but their primary responsibility was Anthony."

"Have they seen anything?" Greg asked softly. His words filled with concern.

"Not thus far," Edward admitted reluctantly, "however, one thing that I did hedge the truth on was Ms. David."

Edward shifted in his seat and took a drink before continuing. "We believe that Eli David and his children are not just heavily involved with this scheme, but that Ziva was placed with Anthony's team to keep an eye on both Anthony and then Gibbs once Aaron came online and they bonded. The biggest question is where they are getting this list of Undetermined statuses. The list of people who have access to this information is quite... small."

"Suddenly, I'm not sure this really is the best place for Spencer and Aaron," Greg admitted softly.

Edward gave a sigh and nodded his understanding of the feeling. "Believe me when I say that it was heavily debated. However, Blair was concerned with Spencer's mental health, and how Anthony would react should Aaron not be brought here. Blair feels that Anthony is the future of our community, and doesn't want to do something that will impede his growth and faith in the SS&G Family."

There was something in that statement that caught Greg's attention. He wasn't sure what it was though, and for the moment filed it away until he could discuss it with Nick and Tony in private. Unable to wait any longer, he kissed Nick on the cheek and then headed outside to find Tony. He had a mentally tormented Swing to soothe.

Once he got outside, Greg headed toward the outbuildings. Besides the former guest house that was being given to Spencer and Aaron, and their new Sentinel if they found him, there were two other buildings. One was being used as a large man cave slash home theater where they could watch various sports events or one of Tony's many movies. The other had been given to Tony to set up as a workshop. After their Swing had told them just what Gibbs meant to him and admitted to wanting to take up woodworking as a tribute to the man, they encouraged him to bring the tools to Vegas and try his hand at it. Tony had confessed that Gibbs’ basement had been something of a sanctuary for him and he hoped to find something soothing to hold onto by creating a similar environment.

Tony had been reluctant when he'd first heard the idea insisting that he would be no good at it and they could find a better use for the large building. Nick though had pointed out that no one is good at something when they first try it, and that if that was how he wanted to honor Gibbs than he should. Eventually, after a few hours spent curled up on their bed with a room full of Spirit Animals, Tony agreed to accept the offer. Tobias Fornell had personally seen to the packing up of the basement in exchange for an invitation to visit whenever he’d like. Tony admitted that he missed the older man, and when he heard his fellow Italian was kicking around the notion of retiring quickly made the invitation. He’d even set up a college fund for Emily Fornell, Tobias’ only child, so that the cost of her continued education wouldn’t be a factor. He’d used part of the money he’d inherited from Gibbs’ estate to do it knowing it was something his friend would have approved of.

Nodding to Moss who was pacing around the area like his bobcat Spirit Guide, Greg went into the barn and was unsurprised to see Tony sitting at the work bench. He was a little surprised though to see him sketching something out. There was a pile of magazines sitting near him with a few laying open, and as he got closer, he noticed they appeared to be woodworking magazines.

"Whatcha workin' on?" Greg asked softly as he walked over grabbing one of the stools Tony bought for when he and Nick came out to watch. Before he sat down, he peered over Tony's shoulder seeing some kind of a box being drawn with what looked like the Marine logo in a corner.

"Making a box for Gibbs' flag and his metals to display out here," Tony finally admitted. The way he quickly peeked at Greg supported the nerves that the younger man could feel along their bond.

"That's a great idea!" Greg responded enthused, and took a seat on the stool giving the Swing some space. "Does he have a lot of them?"

"Seven Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Awards from NCIS, plus a purple heart and his various other awards from the Marines. He has a silver star also, but... I don't have that one. He gave it to someone else."

"Wow!" Greg considered that for a moment before replying. "He must have been a hell of a man."

"One of the best," Tony said hesitantly. When it looked like he was trying to make his mind up about something, Greg just remained quiet waiting to see if he'd continue. Eventually, his patience paid off when Tony continued speaking softly with equal amounts of pain and reverence in his voice.

"Gibbs was one of the biggest bastards I have ever met in my life. We used to tell people that the second B was for bastard, and they'd laugh like it was some joke. If they spent more than 15 minutes around him though, especially when he was in case mode, and they would figure out that it wasn't a joke. We'd have to earn basic things like the right to eat or take a break when working a case. He constantly played the team against each other. Even though I was his Senior Field Agent he never treated me like I was anything more than another agent on the team.

"He was forever going off all halfcocked by himself or keeping secrets that weren't necessary making it nearly impossible to watch his six. Some days I would go home and question whether I had brain damage because it was the only thing that would explain why I stayed. But then..."

Tony trailed off for a moment, and Greg once more remained quiet as he waited to hear what he was hoping were the positives. There better be positives coming because at the moment Greg wasn't feeling too supportive about Tony's former boss.

"When I was laying in the isolation unit at Bethesda sure I was going to die from the plague, he stormed in, gave me a pat on the top of my head, and ordered me not to die. Not even a minute before I'd been sure I was toast, but the second his order came I knew that there was no way I could disobey. I'd never let him down by outright disobeying an order and I wasn't starting then. When I met him in Baltimore I'd already had to leave one PD because of corruption, and by the end of that investigation it was apparent that it would be happening for a second time. Gibbs swore to me that he'd have my back if I came to work for him. Rule #5: You don't waste good. There might have been times that I hated his guts, but I always knew that if I was in trouble he'd scorch the earth to find me.”

Tony paused at that point, and Greg gave into the urge to touch. After scooting his stool closer to the older man, he reached out and placed a hand on the man’s upper thigh. Squeezing slightly he hoped the Swing could feel how much Greg already cared, and that he wasn’t alone to carry his pain anymore.

"When my father made an appearance last year in the middle of a case, after mostly ignoring me for about 30 years, Gibbs did his best to help me keep my head on straight. Even when I was fucking up, he stood by me and tried to get me back on track. When he was all done, he ordered me to his house and cooked me a cowboy steak and let me vent. He understood that no matter how much I hate my father for how he's treated me that a part of me will never be able to stop wishing that he'd love me. Whenever I felt lost or had something in my head that I couldn't work out, or even if the walls in my apartment just felt too small, I'd go over to his house and sit on the bottom step of the stairs down to the basement.

"Sometimes I'd talk and sometimes I wouldn't say a word. Sometimes I'd bring food, sometimes I'd bring beer, and sometimes I wouldn't bring anything, but he never bitched. He'd just sit there and work on the boat or whatever project he had going on and let me be. He was my first safe haven. He was the first person who made me feel like I belong, like I could mess up and it was ok. He might get pissed, and he might head slap me into the middle of next week, but he always forgave me and always wanted me to be the best me I could. We didn't agree on everything, and sometimes I just wanted to tell him he was being an ass, but he was my big brother and my best friend and every fucking thing I had... And he died because of me."

"No," Greg said softly but firmly making Tony look up. "He died for you. He died because some asshole wanted to kill you because you're different and you're special and that makes them feel threatened. He died because he took an oath to his country at the very least, but more likely he died because he loved you and wasn't about to let some asshole steal you from the world because we need you. He died a hero, and I will give my thanks every night for the rest of my life that you had him to watch your six. We'll find these motherfuckers, and we'll take every last one of them down and we're going to do it for Gibbs because he deserves that. At the very least, he deserves that much."

When he got done, Greg held Tony's gaze until the older man nodded and went back to his sketch. There wasn't much outwardly change in his expression, but he could feel the change through their connection. It felt lighter than it had since he and Nick walked into Grissom's old office and met the last part of their whole.

# Interlude: Happenings in Hawaii

Idea for chp – add scene real time or reflection on the reunion with Emily and Derek.

Spencer sat next to Aaron's bed holding his hand, and recited Stephen King's Dark Tower series to him from memory. Aaron loved to read horror books for pleasure, and had a copy of every one of Mr. King's books. Reid knew that The Dark Tower books were one of his favorites, and because of that this was their second 'reading' of the series. In the corner of the room was Jasmine Mirandez from the team sent to protect the two of them, and outside the door today was Officer Kalakaua from the 5-0 Task Force, who refused to give up their protection detail as long as the two men were in Hawaii.

When Spencer arrived in Honolulu, Tony was by his side not allowing him to travel alone. This despite Tony's new bond, and the fact that Spencer was a grown adult fully capable of navigating an airport. Of course, Tony pointed it out that it wasn't getting lost at LAX while he transferred planes that he was worried about. So, Spencer had given up his argument about not needing an escort. When they reached Hawaii, Tony only took long enough to introduce him to his friend Danny and Lt. Commander McGarrett before heading off to the check-in desk for his return flight to Vegas and his mates.

At first, Spencer wasn't sure how he should feel about the verbose blond Guide who seemed to never be happy and had a complaint about everything. The blond, along with the intense looking dark haired SEAL, quickly ushered him to baggage claim to get his suitcase. They then escorted him out to a Camero that turned out to be Guide Williams' even though it was driven by Sentinel McGarrett. The entire way back to their headquarters, he listened to the two of them bicker. Quickly though he picked up the thread of teasing that lay under the words that sounded harsh and biting.

Over the remainder of the day he observed the blond that Tony called a friend, and soon he realized that the New Jersey native used words as a shield the way Tony and Greg used inappropriate jokes. Once he'd had time to dissect the man's personality, he could easily see the worry and other emotions balled up underneath the bitching and complaining. He also saw enough fond eye rolls and affectionate smiles from his team members, that it didn't take him long to relax.

In fact, once he got to know the man, he actually grew to like his sharp wit and ornery personality. Soon the two men were engaging in wild debates that left them both waving their arms over the place as they argued their points. The rest of the team often watched them baffled as they smiled indulgently. Spencer liked the man so much, he'd made sure that they exchanged email addresses and phone numbers so that they could keep on contact after Spencer went back home to Vegas. Detective Williams wasn't the only one he thought that he'd made lifelong friendships with though.

Detective Kelly was almost the polar opposite of Detective Williams. Spencer found himself drawn to the other man when he needed moments of peace, but didn't want to be alone. There was something about the man that inspired a feeling of safety and security. The two of them could sit in a room talking quietly, or not speaking at all, and when Spencer left he always felt better than when he went in.

He didn't know Chin's cousin Officer Kalakaua as well, but what he had seen reminded him a lot of Emily. Similarly, Lou Grover reminded him a great deal of Rossi, and Spencer found himself missing his talks with the veteran profiler. Mentally, he made a note to himself to reach out to the older man once things calmed down. The man was a good friend to Aaron, and he deserved to know what was going on once Spencer was allowed to talk about it.

Maybe the best thing that had happened, though, since coming to Hawaii was when Emily and Derek showed up. Despite how much he hated being touched, the first thing he did when he saw Derek was wrap his arms around him and refuse to let go. Derek Morgan was more brother than friend, and Spencer hadn't realized just how very much he'd missed the older man until he was there in front of him. If his face was a little wet when they finally pulled apart, everyone had the courtesy not to mention it.

Even Emily, whom he wasn't as close to because of their rocky beginning, got a hug. It wasn't that he wasn't aware what the team had meant to him, but more like he hadn't realized just how much he depended on others until he was all alone again. He'd gotten used to having someone there when he really needed them, or at the very least, only being a phone call away. Now that he'd reconnected with Emily and Derek, he was desperately missing the others, namely JJ and Garcia. And, his Godson Henry. He couldn't forget Henry, and he was terrified that the little boy had forgotten him. He'd have to make sure he talked to Tony to see if it was safe to make contact with some of the others from his old team.

When Emily and Derek showed up to protect them, Spencer had been surprised, but relieved to see his friends. He knew he could trust Aaron's safety to them. He'd been relieved when Lt. Commander McGarrett insisted on 5-0 remaining a part of the detail until the two were off the islands though. Fortunately, Emily had been happy for as much help as they could get, and quickly agreed to the request.

Spencer hadn't been sure what to think of Agent Mirandez, who was the third member of the protection detail from the S&G center and unfamiliar to him, when he'd first met her. He quickly discovered that she was very laid back and accepting of his quirks. She was also very dedicated to her job, which was something that won her big brownie points with Spencer. When he saw how easily Derek and Emily interacted with her and how much his best friend trusted the woman who was unknown to him, he relaxed further and took the leap of faith to trust her with Aaron’s safety.

At night when he was forced to leave Aaron, one of the protection detail was always with him at Steve's home, which had given him more time to get to know the woman. He'd found out that she was a former Marine and had been recruited for the team after saving a High Level Guide who came online in the middle of a combat situation. While her dedication to Aaron's safety was what won him over professionally, the enthusiasm with which she was willing to debate Dr. Who with him and Steve was one of the things that had won him over personally.

Lt. Commader McGarrett reminded him a lot of Aaron, and because of that Spencer hadn't gotten to know him as much as he probably should have. Or, maybe it was just that what he'd gotten to know he'd firmly kept behind a barrier. The same part of Spencer that missed his Swing SentinelGuide and his Sentinel so badly, longed for a connection to the Lt. Commander that Spencer knew wouldn't be a good idea.

Spencer's, and eventually Aaron's, lives were very firmly in Las Vegas with Tony. Lt. Commader Sentinel Steve McGarrett's life was very definitely in Hawaii. Therefore, a matchup between the three men would never work. Once he'd quietly explained the problem to the Commander, Steve graciously understood, and did his best not to push the issue.

When the door opened and Emily came into the hospital room, Spencer waved to her, but continued on with the story until he came to a good stopping point. Thankfully, Emily was used to his quirks, and knew not to interrupt him unless it was an emergency.

"Any news?" Spencer asked knowing that she and Steve had been working with the doctor on the best way to get Aaron to Vegas with as little stress to him as possible.

"Steve managed to get a spot for all of us on a Medical Transport heading east. They're going to drop us off in Vegas on their way to Bethesda. So, we should be out of here this afternoon."

Spencer couldn't help but release a sigh of thanks. He missed his Chieftain, his Champion and his Madge terribly. As soon as the words entered his head, they echoed a bit making his mind stutter. As far as he knew, that terms hadn't been used for more than 100 years to refer to the Community. As he examined them though, they felt right. There was something that made the words feel like home, and at the same time, make him question why now?

He had enough interaction with Blair and Jim over the years since Gideon turned his back on them to know that the two Primes had never commanded that word. Chieftain, Champion, Mage were, when combined, something traditional and ancient that the Sentinel and Guide society had gotten away from. However, there was a part of him that, now that he'd had the thought, longed for those connections. They felt safe. Like, as long as the three of them were around, then not just he, but the S&G Community as a whole would be OK.

"You look like you've just had a revelation," Emily said drawing Spencer away from his thoughts as Detective Williams came into the room. "Usually I see that look when we've been chasing an unsub for three weeks without making any headway, and you've just discovered the piece we needed in that big brain of yours."

Opening his mouth, Spencer quickly shut it, and looked to Jasmine. "Jas, can you give us a second? I... I think this needs to be... I don't..."

"It's cool, Doc," Jasmine said calmly. "I'm familiar with the concept of keeping bursts of inspiration to a limited number of people. I'll go chat with Kono outside. Just let me know when you're done."

Once she'd left the room, Spencer looked to Danny, who was watching him expectantly. "Tell me how you feel when I say to you that Tony is your Chieftain."

Spencer watched the Detective straighten, and interestingly enough, even Emily seemed to become more alert.

"I feel like I immediately want to call him and check that he's safe," Danny admitted frowning. "Why? What just happened?"

"I don't know," Spencer admitted turning over the facts as he knew them in his head. "I was just thinking about going home to Vegas, and got a random thought that I missed my Chieftain, my Champion, and my Mage in my head. And, it just... I don't know. It felt... more. It felt important. It felt... right."

"For what it's worth, Spence," Emily offered. "I don't know who you're talking about, but the second you said the words I felt like I needed to find them and ask them not to go away, again."

"What does this mean, Doc?" Danny asked, but Spencer stayed quiet. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to Aaron wishing his mate was awake as his mind began turning over the possibilities. While Spencer had sometimes what felt like a limitless amount of facts and details in his head, he didn’t always understand the social and emotional implications of those details. Over the hears since they’d connected as something more than superior and subordinate, he’d come to depend on the older man to understand what the information he was offering meant and to relay it in such a way that Spencer understood the emotional and sometimes spiritual side of things.

Somewhere in the background, he heard Emily explaining quietly to Danny about him solving puzzles in his head. Then, at some point, they left as Jasmine came back, but Spencer didn't comment. Instead he tried to figure out what was happening to the Community, because it was painfully obvious to him that something important was changing. No matter how he turned the ramifications over in his head, he couldn’t help but feel like it was a good thing in the end. Now more than even just a few moments before he longed to go home to Vegas and be surrounded by the safety and the comfort of his Pack once more.

# Chapter Eight: Working out the Details

After their conversation, Greg hung around for a while chatting about everything and nothing before finally going back into the house. Tony worked for another hour after his Guide left finishing his design and working out the materials that he thought he would need would need using a couple of Gibbs’ old woodworking magazines for a guide.

Once he was sure his mind was calmer, he moved back to the house leaving Moss and JD to patrol the property. When he saw Caan and Agent P stalking after them, Tony couldn't help but smile and shake his head. By the time he reached the porch though, he realized that while his angst over Gibbs had quieted, he was nowhere near tired enough to sleep despite the fact that he was losing precious sleeping hours.

After grabbing a bottle of water from inside the house, he headed to the back porch to rock in one of the rocking chairs they’d placed there. Work was going to suck that evening, but he knew from experience that trying to force himself to sleep would only result in hours of tossing and turning. It was something that he was more conscious of now that there were two other people sharing his bed and didn’t want them all to be sleep deprived just because he had a restless mind.

Fortunately, he was used to operating on little to no sleep from his time on Gibbs’ team. He’d found though that getting his Sentinel and Guide to understand that often his mind was simply too active to rest was slow going. Despite his high energy level, he’d found out that Greg was just the opposite of him, and quickly went from awake to a near dead like sleep and was a grumpy ass if he didn’t get enough rest at night. Nick was somewhere in the middle of the two of them but leaned closer to Greg’s sleeping patterns.

Letting out a deep sigh, Tony got comfortable setting the rocker in motion as he stared out over the expanse of desert behind their property. Hearing the screen door bang, he turned his head to see Nick and CJ along with his Spirit Guide a sun bear named Yogi coming out with the latter heading out into the yard presumably to help his mate patrol. The sun bear bounded over for an ear scratch before hurrying after CJ most likely to find JD, Agent P and Caan.

"Once their whole team is here in Vegas they're gonna split up into three two-person teams rotating between Spencer, Aaron, and where ever you are," Nick commented as he sat in the rocker next to Tony. "Your cousin must have been one hell of an agent. It was pretty interesting listening to him while you and G were in the workshop. We worked on the fine details of what'll happen after the other group gets home. I'll be honest, I'm anxious for Spencer and Aaron to get here. It feels... I dunno man. Wrong. Bad. I don't like them being so far away."

Tony nodded frowning. "I have a thought about Aaron being at Bennington, but I’m not ready to discuss it yet. I’d like to get the two of them here to Vegas and make sure it isn’t just the current distance that is making me feel off about the new location. Have you ever... been part of a Pack?"

Turning his head away from the landscape he'd been looking at, he saw his Sentinel nod before answering. "Sure! Mom and Cisco lead a large Pack in Dallas that’s actually one of the oldest in Texas. My oldest brother David is the first born. So, he’s Cisco's successor. I think the only reason the Pack didn't raise a bigger fuss when I moved away from Dallas was because I have 4 sisters who have like a million kids and I was considered Dormant at the time. No one expected I’d ever come online, and since I have another brother and 4 sisters there are plenty of successors if something happens to David. Even now that Jack has mostly moved on himself after the fubar that was my coming online. One of my sister’s, Jessica, gave them the middle finger and took off, but there’s still plenty of others to take Cisco’s spot. I heard that David and his Mate, Suzanna, are finally expecting a boy, so that’ll pretty much synch the hierarchy for a while. Why?"

"I've never been part of a Pack. Senior wasn't part of one. He claimed that it was because he didn't want to be tied down to one. Now though I know that most likely it's because he got thrown out of his original Pack and couldn't find another one to take him in. My mom was part of one before she married my father, but since it was in England, and they hate Senior, I was only around it for brief periods. They accepted me well enough for the brief periods I was there, and had I been willing to move to England they would have taken me in. I never felt like that was where I belonged though, so I never accepted their invitation. I suppose that’s why I didn’t immediately think anything of it when I realized that some people felt different to me than others. But then Edward showed up and I noticed... well I noticed that he feels different than he used to."

"Different how?" Nick asked turning his body slightly in the rocker to face his Swing.

"Ed's always been as close to a best friend as I have other than Gibbs. I mean, even though he lived across the ocean we’ve always been really close. I always thought that I knew what my status meant, and because of that, never told anyone that even though I was Undetermined I always felt... things. It's why I’ve always been so baffled by my status because I'd still get minute traces of feelings and things that I shouldn't. My eyesight and hearing has always been better than most, and I’ve always had a better sense of where people are around me without looking than others. As soon as I hugged Edward though I realized he felt different. Like... It's stupid. I'm sure it's just something fucked up in my head."

"Don't do that," Nick ordered softly. "Don't discount your thoughts or feelings just because you are new to this. Tell me how Edward is different."

"He feels like... like he belongs to you somehow. Not sexually or like a mate but like..." Tony stopped again frustrated. "It doesn't make sense! It sounds stupid!"

"Just say it, mi amado **(my beloved)** ," Nick again ordered gently.

"He feels like he works for you," Tony finally admitted very reluctantly, “or more accurately under you like in a chain of command.”

"I don't know how else to explain it. Moss and CJ do as well for that matter. It feels like what my brain is comparing to one of the teams I've been on. Like you're the Leader, Edward is your second in Command, and Moss and CJ report to him."

"Who else feels different?" Nick asked trying to get more information before he commented on his own feelings, which were scarily echoing what his new lover was telling him.

"Spencer," Tony admitted. "When I think of him the word Advisor pops into my head. I feel like he works... with Greg. I thought it was just because Greg was the first of you two to meet him, and got so attached so quickly, but it feels like Reid is there to help Greg with something that’s coming. Even though I haven't met Aaron I feel like he's going to work... with me. Like I already feel like I depend on him. I keep having to box in this anxiety over his coma, and his comfort and care being out of my hands, but that doesn't make sense! Work doing what? Why would I be attached to someone that I literally have never even met? I don't..."

"I feel the same way," Nick informed him cutting off Tony's rant and quieting him quickly. "That whole advisor thing is how I think of Edward. It felt that way immediately when I met him. So, whatever you’re feeling isn’t just you. I bet anything if we got G out here that he’d say he felt some kind of connection between me and Edward, too. As to Spencer and Aaron, again ditto, man. I’ve been trying to figure out why I connected with Spencer so quickly, when honestly, I’m usually pretty slow to trust people, but if this is some kind of cosmic hierarchy for something… I guess that makes sense.

Tony watched Nick study him and he took the time to try and figure out what his Sentinel having the same thoughts actually meant. “There’s somethin’ bigger happenin’ here, babe, than I think any of us understand. A part’a me thinks that whatever it is, is the reason why these people hate us so much. I don’t know if you would have noticed since you weren’t online, but I noticed when Blair and Jim were here that they don’t feel the same to me anymore. At first, I just chalked it up to bein’ pissed at them for their part in what happened with Gibbs an’ Aaron. The thing is though, if that was all it is then it shouldn’t go beyond us. I got a call earlier though from Jack, the younger of my two older brothers that still talks to me.

“After Mamma an’ Cisco pulled their shit with Greg, he poo pooed all over new bond arrangement they’d set up for him. The first one didn’t work out ‘cause she didn’t understand how important what he does is to him. They’d tried to set him up with someone else, an’ he’d been… well, letting them believe he was going to go along with it is the best way to explain it. After what they did to me an’ G though, he told ‘em to shove their arrangement ‘cause he knew who his Mate was s’pposed to be. I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard Jack talk about Mac enough to know that he’s crazy about the guy. So, I have to agree that this dude’s the one for him.”

Nick snorted and looked out over the desert before shaking his head to try and get his thoughts back on track. “Anyway, Jack called to check in, like he does every few weeks, and I thought I’d test out the whole Blair and Jim thing on him. Took him a minute, ‘cause Jack’s scatterbrained on the best of days an’ I was trying to be careful since we weren’t on a secure line. Eventually he got what I was puttin’ down though and said that when he thought about it he didn’t feel the same about them anymore. Now, he’s my brother. So, maybe that’s why it happened so fast. I dunno. All I know is he’s never met you and doesn’t even really know what’s goin’ on here and feels a shift. That tells me that somethin’ really is happenin’ here that we need to pay attention to. Not to change the subject, but what are we gonna do about Aaron?”

Tony frowned and paused his rocking for a moment as he studied his Sentinel puzzled. Soon enough though he set the chair in motion again as he tried to get clarification. “I don’t understand. I thought we’d already decided to put him in Bennington and revisit that once he’s been settled for a day or two.”

“S’not what I mean,” Nick said softly, and Tony could tell his mate was wearing out. As he examined his own energy levels, he found that his mind was a lot calmer than it had been before. He made a mental note that once again, it took attention from both Greg and Nick before he could really settle down. That was the second time it had happened, and if it occurred again he decided he’d bring it up to the group.

“My understandin’ is that Aaron is in a coma because now that he’s online, his Swing status is too much for him without both a Sentinel and a Guide. I also understood that it took both himself and Spencer together before he came online to determine that Gibbs was a suitable Sentinel for them. So, if Aaron’s in a coma...”

“How is he going to help Spencer pick their new Sentinel,” Tony finished understanding. “And they can’t bring Aaron out of the coma without a Sentinel. It’s like that chicken and egg thing in real life. Spencer needs Aaron’s help to pick a new Sentinel, but they can’t bring him out of a coma without a new Sentinel to balance out his Guide side. Shit.”

“S’definitely somethin’ we’re gonna have to think about,” Nick agreed slowing down the rocking motion of his chair. “I’m sure there’s gotta be a way around it, but damned if I know what it is.”

Nodding, Tony stopped his own chair and stood as he held out a hand. “I think we need to sleep on it. Maybe a solution will come to us as we rest.”

“Sounds like a plan, Boss,” Nick said smiling. When he stole a kiss, Tony hummed happily then followed his mate inside with their hands clasped together. Once they got into bed, it didn’t take long for three of them to twine their bodies together until it was hard to tell where one man ended and the other two began. All thoughts of sleep forgotten.

A couple weeks later, Tony found himself walking into the kitchen to find Edward the only one present. Before the trio had gone to work the shift after his cousin arrived, he asked him to be one of the ones to watch over Spencer. He knew that Emily and Derek wanted that job, but Tony didn’t know them. He knew Edward, and trusted Edward. So, the teams were shuffled, and Edward and Derek were the ones that guarded Spencer. Emily and Jasmine were assigned to Aaron, and Moss and CJ accompanied the trio, but specifically Tony, where ever he went. There wasn’t a place that Tony went outside of the walls of the house that one of them wasn’t with him. It was driving him a little mad, but he honestly got it.

The drawback to this was that with Spencer visiting Aaron during the day, and Tony sleeping all day, this was the first time he’d gotten to talk to his cousin since the new protection detail began. Normally, Tony was at work before Spencer got home from visiting Aaron at Bennington.

Just thinking the name of the hospital made Tony agitated and distracted him momentarily from his train of thought.

He hated that Aaron was there for so many reasons. The top two though were the fact that there was no way it was truly secure given that people knew Spencer’s mother was there, and that it was the place Spencer hated the most in the world. Hell, for that matter, Tony didn’t even like Diana being there, and had thoughts about moving her somewhere else when they moved Aaron. It made him itchy scratchy uncomfortable thinking about his friend’s mother being in that place when his instincts told him she deserved so much better. However, the connection to Spencer was too new to go poking at that wound just yet. So, he was trying to live with it until he could have the needed conversation with Gibbs’ former Guide.

“There you are,” Tony greeted as he walked into the kitchen. “I was beginning to think you’d kidnapped Spencer and run to England with him.”

“Well, you’d certainly know where to find him if I did such a bloody foolish thing, now wouldn’t you,” Edward threw back drily making Tony smile. “I though we should touch base. I am not altogether happy with this current arrangement. I do believe that my list of things I detest about that place is longer than the positives for keeping Swing Hotchner in there. Please tell me that you feel the same way.”

“I feel the same way,” Tony echoed politely and shot his cousin a grin before moving over to pour coffee for himself and his mates, whom he knew would be down soon. Moving to the counter where he’d put a couple pot roasts with potatoes and carrots in crock pots before they went to bed that morning, he was pleased to see they were finished. “Are you eating, Eddie?”

“Yes you arse,” Edward grumbled. “Smells bloody wonderful. I’ll set the table while you get everything dished up.”

Nodding, Tony set about dishing up the contents of one of the crock pots, leaving the others for the four that were still at the hospital to dig into when they got home. Pre-heating the oven, Tony reached in the freezer and pulled out a bag of biscuits that he had made previously and just needed baked. He’d already made a cauliflower salad that morning before they went to bed. So, all he had to do was take it out of the refrigerator.

By the time Nick and Greg came down and CJ and Moss came in from patrolling after turning on the outside security measures everything was set on the large table in the kitchen where they ate the majority of their meals. Once everyone was settled, Edward once more brought up the subject of Aaron. “OK, Anthony, tell me what you think about Aaron’s current situation.”

“I think it sucks,” Tony shot back immediately. “I think that it’s a risky place for Aaron security wise. I think it’s a horrible environment for Spencer to be subjected to every day. I’m not even crazy about having Diana there, but I haven’t found a better place for her. I know that it’s only been a couple days that he’s been there, but I truly hate it. I honestly don’t see me feeling any better about the situation if we give it time. What I’d like to do is move Aaron here into the guest house. We can do whatever we need to so that we have everything we need to see to his needs.”

“What are you going to do about medical care?” Greg asked curiously as he paused from shoving roast into his mouth. “Seriously, Tony this is so good. Anywho…. It isn’t as if any of us have the medical training to take care of him.”

“We’re gonna steal a doctor or pair of bonded doctors from somewhere,” Tony quickly replied having given this plenty of thought. “It isn’t as if we don’t have plenty of need for one even without Aaron. We have the aftermath of my bout with the plague to consider. Spencer had Anthrax. Nick has a shitload of serious insect bite allergies thanks to what happened to him. My friend Danny in Hawaii who feels like Pack was infected by sarin, and even though he doesn’t live here I’d like him to have access to Pack medical care if needed. Then you have to figure that with so many of us here that there’ll always be someone getting sick or injured.” Tony trailed off at that point and just shrugged self-consciously.

“I like it,” Moss said inserting himself into the conversation. It wasn’t often that he did so as mostly it was just an assignment for him, or at least that was how it had begun. Lately though he’d noticed that it had stopped feeling like a job and more like he was protecting family or something even more important.

CJ felt a connection to the trio, but especially Tony, almost initially, but that wasn’t unusual for his mate. CJ loved people and was maybe the best man that Moss had ever met. Not many people realized just how sensitive and how strongly he was connected to the mystical side of being a Guide. There wasn’t another person that Moss had ever met that was better at reading people than CJ, and that included the numerous high-level Guides they’d been tasked at protecting over the years. The two of them had bounced around the globe from one protection detail to the next until Edward took them in and made them a part of his team.

The two had grown up together in a small town almost smack dab in the middle of Texas where being a Sentinel or Guide was bad enough but finding out that your mate was of the same sex as you was practically a life sentence. It was only the fact that Moss’ father came from old Texas oil money that saved their lives. The instant that they realized that CJ was his mate, Jefferson Robert Dougal the III moved CJ’s family into their mansion for their protection. CJ’s father was a city accountant, and his mother had been a teacher at the local high school. Moss came online in high school and pulled his best friend with him during an accident at a local pit where the kids snuck into and swam. Once it was clear that the boys were mates, the Dougal’s moved the Robertson’s into their home and lives.

Michael Robertson eventually became JR’s accountant for both the family’s finances and his business’ when it was discovered the family they’d used for generations died unexpectedly in an accident. Delores Robertson became the boy’s teacher when it was realized that they were going to have to home school the two, due to bullying that the school system had no intention of controlling. This led to the younger three children being also home schooled once they were of age. Eventually, Stephanie Dougal saw an opportunity, and they opened their own private school specifically for children who were Sentinels or Guides or the children of Sentinels and Guides.

When the two older boys realized that they needed to get out of Texas if they were going to have a life for themselves and decided that the Navy was a good start. CJ had always wanted to be a Navy SEAL, and Moss rarely told his Guide no. The families, while worried, supported their sons, and often made trips to see them wherever they were located, since the boys refused to go home. Despite their parent’s efforts, there hadn’t been as much change in the minds of some in the community where their parents still lived, and Moss put his foot down on putting his Guide in danger. They hadn’t survived the evils of war and everything that came from the special ops they’d worked to die at the hands of a mundane whose head had been screwed up by some bigoted religious nut.

When Edward come to them and laid out what was going on here in Vegas and then let them know the guy that the scumbags were targeting was his family, there wasn’t any question that they would come along to help. Now that they were there though, it was the three men they were tasked with protecting that were making them want to stay. They each in their own way were amazing men, but together as one cohesive unit they made you want to kneel and pledge your allegiance as if you were a medieval knight. Despite the fact that it had only been a handful of days, they were both connected enough to the Trio, but Tony especially, that they were considering asking to stay when the assignment was done.

“What you’ve started here is just going to keep growing and adding people. There may not seem like you have as much demand for a doctor or two now, but eventually there will be. It’s only a matter of time. How are you gonna go about finding the right person or people though?”

“I was thinking I’d call my Doctor back in DC that treated me when I had the plague. It would be awesome if I could pry him away from Bethesda, but I don’t see it happening. Brad is a friend along with my Doctor, and I know what helping military personnel means to him. I suspect though that he’ll have an idea of who would be the best fit and at the same time interested in the spot. I don’t wanna waste my time chasing after people who are happy where they are at. I want Aaron out of that place as soon as possible, and I want a plan for getting Spencer’s mother moved out of there as well.”

The group nodded, and Nick spoke up knowing Tony had been stressing about filling the lab positions as well. “What about the spots at work? You makin’ any headway on them?”

Tony smiled as he swallowed his last bite of salad. As he chewed he eyed the bowl trying to decide if he wanted more. When Greg automatically put another scoop on his salad plate, he gave his Guide a smile of thanks as he swallowed the food in his mouth. “I have gone over all of the applicants in the lab and haven’t found anyone suitable. The ones that are ready and qualified to my specifications don’t want night shift, and the ones that want to come to night shift aren’t up to my standards. I talked it over with Ecklie this morning before I left, and he agreed with me. After the issues we had with Catherine, he and the Undersheriff are going to review the qualification requirements for all positions level 3 CSI and above. I’ve sent him my thoughts, and subsequently will be having all of the CSI’s on my shift attend some training soon. One of my OSU Frat brothers is gonna come to town and run them.”

“It’ll be cool,” Greg said enthusiastically as Nick scrunched up his nose.

“Says the guy that would still be in college if he could have afforded it,” Nick snarked playfully. “For the rest of us it’ll be boring, but necessary. I’ll make sure there’s no grouching with the rest of the shift. Are we including the lab rats in this? I think we should if we aren’t already.”

“We are,” Tony confirmed with a nod. “I don’t like the divide between the lab techs and the CSI’s that I keep seeing, and training for everyone is just one of the things I have planned to try and bring everyone together more. I am not a fan of the them vs us mentality. When I was with NCIS, Abby and Ducky were as much a part of my team as Tim and Ziva, and I want that mentality here on Night Shift. Edward, don’t’ say anything to Dr. Norman about moving Diana and Aaron just yet. I know he doesn’t like our involvement in Diana and Spencer’s lives, and I haven’t figured out yet. So, I don’t trust him not to do something stupid at this point.”

“Will do,” Edward agreed before turning the conversation toward the soccer game that he’d watched that day. He had long ago stopped calling it football when he was around Tony because the conversation simply got too confusing, especially with Tony having played American Football in college. When the meal was over, and everything cleaned up, Edward headed back to Bennington to get Reid and Derek, while the others headed off to the Lab.

When Tony walked into his office, Jim Brass was already sitting in a chair in front of his desk. Smiling at the older man as he stood, Tony shook his hand before going around to sit in his chair letting Brando and Caan sniff at Jim’s Golden Lab Spirit Guide named Mannix. The two had become quite good friends, and Brass had become a frequent visitor and not just for case issues. Quite frequently he’d stop by to rant with Tony about their subordinates or just to chat before their shifts. It was an unexpected friendship, but one that Tony was thankful had formed. It wasn’t quite the same as having gotten Gibbs back, but it did help fill a role in his live that he was desperately missing.

“Jim, how can I help you today?”

“Actually, I think I may be able to help you,” Brass countered holding out a piece of paper for Tony to take before settling back in his chair. “I got a call recently from a mutual friend of Gibbs and I’s. Mac Taylor was in the service with us and runs the lab at NYPD. He’s needs some help with a problem, and I think it’s just what you’re looking for. I heard both Bobby and Archie are leaving?”

Tony nodded and sighed as he thought of the two additional spots he was going to have to fill. “Bobby is leaving because his husband got a better job somewhere else, and Archie needs to move back home to help out his parents. I’ll be honest, I’m not looking forward to having to fill two more spots. I’m having a hard enough time filling the CSI positions. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m being too picky.”

“Well, knock that crap off,” Brass ordered frowning at him. “From everything I hear you’re making changes that are needed. I know for a fact Gibbs thought you were the best agent he’d ever worked with and told me more than once he depended on your instincts. So, if you’re being picky it’s because you need to be. Now, give Mac a call. I think you’ll be able to help each other out. On an unrelated subject, rumor has it Catherine has taken a position helping her father run his casino. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel tired. I hope it works out for her.”

Tony sighed and shook his head understanding what Brass meant. “Yeah, that’s… I dunno. I can’t decide if she’s given up, or if that’s really who she was all along. Obviously, at least one of her parents is a bad influence on her, but then Warrick seems to think that it’s her mother not Sam. It sounds like he knew her better than any of us, so maybe it’s not as bad as it seems initially. Either way, I can’t help but feel like she’s ignoring an opportunity for growth. She was one hell of a CSI, and I had hoped that getting fired would wake her up. Obviously not. While you’re here, I needed to talk to you.

“Nicky had planned on talking to you himself, but he got called out as soon as we got here. He doesn’t wanna put this off any longer, so I told him I’d discuss it with you.” When Brass just arched an eyebrow at him, Tony barreled on. “Blair called me about a week and a half ago and advised that the Sentinel and Guide Council has officially removed the pack ban on Vegas, providing that Nick, Greg, and I are the ones that lead it. Nick already warned Greg and I during out bonding time that it was a possibility, but none of us expected it to happen this quickly. We accepted on the understanding that they mostly keep their fucking noses out of our business. I kind of expected that to be a hard no, but they agreed to it way too quickly.”

“You think something bigger is going on?” Brass asked settling back in his chair with a slight frown on his face that told Tony his friend was already considering the possibilities. “This is big for Vegas. We haven’t been allowed to have an official pack since the Government started cracking down on the mob action in the 70s and 80s.”

Tony offered a slight shoulder shrug before getting up and closing the door to his office and turning on the white noise generator to keep others outside the room from overhearing. He then moved back to his desk to continue his conversation with a now obviously curious Jim Brass.

“I do think something bigger is going on, but for once not nefarious. I just don’t know how I feel about it all. After he came back from Hawaii, Spencer informed Nick, Greg, and I that while he was on the islands, his feelings toward both us as well as Jim and Blair had changed, and apparently it wasn’t just him. The names Chieftan, Champion, and Madge popped into his head while he was having a conversation with my buddy Danny Williams. Once that happened, he said that his connection toward us seemed to grow, and while his feelings for Jim and Blair didn’t go away, they did almost lessen. I don’t know what to think of the whole thing, but I will be honest with you and say that the Nicky, Greg and myself have noticed that we have some urges or thoughts since bonding that seem to be growing.”

“For what it’s worth, I feel the same as the others,” Jim advised leaning forward slightly. “I chalked it up to our shared connection to Gibbs, but when I talked to Mac, he mentioned that he felt like his people would be safe here. He admitted that he couldn’t explain why though since he didn’t even know you. Does this mean that you’re accepting the three of you are accepting the Pack Lead positions?”

Tony nodded before taking a sip of his iced coffee. “During Blair’s call he mostly laid out some informal plans with the understanding that once we get things up and running here he and Jim will visit so we can have a deeper conversation. Supposedly the thought is that we’ll start with heading up a new Vegas Pack. Then once we have that running smoothly and we feel like we can take on more responsibility we’ll take over for Jon and Ponch who head up the West Coast Operations. Apparently, they’re wanting to retire, but have agreed to wait a couple years to give us time to settle in. Within 5 years after that Blair and Jim will be retiring and we’ll be taking over for them heading up all of North America.”

Brass whistled softly, and Tony nodded running a hand over the back of his neck. Every time he thought about all the responsibility coming their way, he was torn between wondering if everyone had lost their minds, and trying to hold back his impatience that it was going to take so long. “To bring this back though to our more immediate issues, we recognize that Vegas still has more than a little of the old ways lingering in it’s underbelly. Security and such things are basically Nick’s purview, but this is a big decision so all three of us talked about it. We agreed that he needs a strong Sentinel to be his right-hand man and act in an Enforcer kind of role. We need someone who will abide by the laws, and not just run around indiscriminately kicking people’s asses, but will deal out punishment when it’s needed and authorized. The three of us would like you to be that man.”

Tony let a small smile come when he felt Brass’ disbelief mixed with a pang of nerves. “Kid, I don’t know what to say,” the gruff Detective admitted, and Tony quirked an eyebrow as his smile grew.

“Well, yes would be great,” Tony offered with a laugh as his friend huffed.

“Are you sure I’m the kind of man that you want in this role? I don’t even have a mate. There’s plenty of people who won’t like it. Are you sure you wanna start this thing with that kind of headache?”

“I could give two flying fucks what people think of my choices,” Tony shot back frankly and paused when his door opened, and Greg slipped in. When his Guide shut the door immediately and moved around to sit on the corner of the desk closest to Tony, the Swing continued his thought.

“You aren’t perfect. Big fucking deal. Who is? I know that things are dicey with your daughter Ellie. We’re willing to help in any way we can. We’re in the process of bringing in both medical doctors as well as psychologists and would be more than happy to do whatever we can to help get her back on track.”

“None of us are willing to let Ellie be used against you,” Greg offered and Tony unconsciously moved his hand to rest on his Guide’s leg. “If it helps, there isn’t even a second option for either Nick or I, Brass. We both feel that you’re perfect for the spot. I assume you’re talking about the Head of Security position?”

Tony nodded giving his partner an affectionate smile before turning his attention back to Brass. “We trust you, Jim. As I said, it feels like this is just the first step in something much bigger than we can see, and the three of us want you to be part of that. As for you being unbonded, it’s my understanding that it’s more because you have always turned down requests to meet potential Guides? I’m not willing to let you be forced if you really don’t want to bond, but my gut says this is more some guilt related thing than anything else. If that’s it, I’d really like it if you’d reconsider. More because you’re my friend and I want you to have what I do than for the position. Is there anyone on the list that you’re at all intrigued by?”

When Jim didn’t answer right away, Tony just stayed quiet and let him answer in his own time. While he waited, Greg moved his hand to rest on top of Tony’s and immediately the Swing turned his hand over to curl their fingers together. “I guess that I never felt like I deserved a Guide,” Brass eventually admitted, and Tony noticed the older man’s gaze had dropped to look down at the desktop. “There was one Guide potential that I happened to run into on a case. He works out of the LA FBI office and they were chasing the same scumbag gang organization that we were. He was… Well, let’s just say everything in my stood up and took notice.” Jim offered a wry grin as he finally looked up again, and Tony couldn’t help but let loose a chuckle.

“And what was this paragon of manliness and good looks’ name?” Tony quipped as he heard his Guide offer a not so quiet giggle.

“Colby Granger,” Jim finally admitted as he settled back in his chair again, “his name was Colby Granger, and if he’s willing, I’d be willing to explore a bond with him.”

“With out without him though, I accept the position. It’s an honor that I can’t possibly turn down as long as you’re sure. I’d appreciate the help with Ellie. I just want her to be happy, whatever that’s going to take.”

“Understood,” Tony replied as Brass’ phone began to ring. The Detective looked at the display and groaned.

“Work calls,” he admitted as he stood, and Tony did the same so that he could shake the man’s hand.

“I’ll check into the Colby thing, and let you know” Tony promised, “and the same with Ellie.”

Brass stood motionless as he seemed to be studying Tony, but eventually gave a nod and headed for the door. “See you in a day or two, Kid.”

“Later, Jim,” Tony offered back as he took his seat and looked up to his Guide, who was still perched on the corner of the desk. “The times are a’changin’, G.”

“That’s ok,” Greg returned with a slight shrug, “we got this.”

Tony smiled and kissed the back of his Guide’s hand before the younger man headed off to check on his lab results. Picking up the paper Brass had left with the contact information for Mac Taylor at the NYPD Crime Lab, he could only hope his Guide was right.

# Chapter Nine: Filling Holes

After he got his beginning shift routine out of the way and checked on all of the lab techs, Tony returned to his office. He looked forward to the day where he could get out into the field more, but at the moment he felt like he was needed more in the lab than out at scenes. Hopefully, once he got his Second in Command spot filled he could take some cases himself and start to feel like he was actually contributing to the team instead of just acting like an administrator. As much as Gibbs meant to him, one of the things he hated about the man as a boss the most was the way he was always down their throats for results, but hardly ever contributed anything useful himself until he’d been handed all the details by the rest of the team.

That may have been the kind of leader that Gibbs was ok with being, but it wasn’t who Tony was or who he wanted to be. He still felt like he had quite a lot to offer in the field and wanted to pull his own weight. Unfortunately, with the lab being so short staffed with positions that absolutely had to be filled, and this whole Pack thing having to be gotten off the ground, he was stuck behind his desk for the time being. Plus, even though his new status wasn’t wide spread knowledge yet, Edward didn’t quite feel comfortable yet letting Tony out into the field until they had a better plan for his security. The last thing that they needed was whomever was targeting Swings to take a shot at him while he was working a crime scene. It was a detail he really couldn’t argue with and was trying to deal with the fact that it might be longer than he’d like before he could do more than read reports and manage his people.

When CJ and Moss wandered in settling in the two chairs in front of his desk, Tony leaned back in his own chair and got more comfortable. “I’m sorry you got the sucky boring assignment,” he offered earning a glare from Moss and a frown from CJ.

“Not sucky or boring,” CJ protested earnestly, and Moss nodded his agreement before putting in his two cents.

“Your safety is our number one goal. It’s why we’re even here in Vegas. To be honest, well, we’ve been meaning to talk to you three about something. We discussed it with Edward, but he said we had to talk to you. We know that we should probably talk to Nick first, but we see you more so…”

“CJ just spit it out,” Tony said amused with the younger man that he’d grown fond of with all the time they spent around each other. “Nick and Greg aren’t gonna be mad. We already talked about things like this, and they know that since I’m basically stuck behind a desk for a foreseeable future that I am more accessible to people for questions and quick decisions.”

He watched Moss take CJ’s hand and just barely stopped himself from arching an eyebrow at the younger men. Whatever it was must be fairly big for the two of them to be this nervous. “We want to request a permanent place with your Pack once the assignment is over and would like to be your primary Security Team going forward. We like working for you and feel like we’ve found our place. We talked it over with our home pack, and they’re willing to allow us to leave if it means we’re joining yours.”

Tony sat back in his chair feeling more than a little surprised. He felt pings of curiosity over the bond from his two mates, and quickly sent back feelings of reassurance before replying. “Moss, isn’t your father Pack Leader?”

Moss nodded with a grin on his face. “Yeah, basically. They live in a smaller town near Fort Worth. They’re actually not far from where Nick’s family’s Pack lives. I asked Pops about it and he said he knows Alpha Stokes pretty well. He said that overall he isn’t a bad Alpha, but the man made some decisions that Pops doesn’t agree with.”

“Hmm,” Tony replied slouching down to rest his head on his chair but didn’t say more. Personally, he thought that Alpha Stokes had made some really piss poor decisions especially where his son came into play. Tony couldn’t help wondering if Moss was trying to downplay the conversation, if his father had downplayed his thoughts on the elder Stokes, or if Papa Dougal really thought trying to force your kids into a pairing was ok.

“I think your Pops said something along the lines of he used to be a good man but then shoved his head up his own ass, and deserves the fallout from it,” CJ drawled drily, and Tony couldn’t help but grin. Leave it to CJ to clear things right up.

“Anyway,” Tony offered quickly to interrupt the bickering he knew would come if he didn’t speak up, “I don’t see a problem with you two joining the Pack, and I would be honored to have you two be my permanent Security Detail.”

“I’ll talk to Nick about it and let him give you guys the final decision. If it helps, Edward has also requested a permanent spot. I think he’s already informed the Council. He asked me to keep it quiet, but I am pretty sure he’d be ok with you guys knowing. Most likely that’s why he said that you two needed to talk to us yourselves. I know Nick’s been stressing about me not having a permanent security detail, so my guess is he’ll be relieved. Regardless, I thank you for the honor gentlemen. We will try our best to be the Pack Leaders that you deserve. Moss, let your parents know that they’re welcomed here with us anytime.”

“Thank you, Swing,” Moss acknowledged with a nod, “you mind if we hang out here today?”

CJ offered a bounce and a huff before Tony gave his two friends a raised eyebrow of inquiry leading the younger of the two to explain. “Hodges and Henry are having a tiff about something and it’s annoying. Honestly, I’m not sure that either one of them are right, but what do I know.”

Tony’s eyebrow lifted further as he turned his attention to Moss who gave a sigh. “They’re arguing about something stupid that neither one of them knows anything about. CJ tried to correct them because he actually knows this shit because it’s what his mom does, and they ignored him. So, we’re hiding here, if it’s ok with you, cause the lab rats are annoying when they’re bickering with each other.”

Tony offered a snort and a nod as he waived a hand toward the sitting area in the back-left corner of the room. “By all means. I am mainly making some calls today trying to track down some people for both work and the Pack. As you know anything you hear is not to be discussed with others including Edward.”

“We know the drill Double D,” CJ offered with a smirk as he headed off toward the corner with Moss following. Shaking his head with an affectionate smile on his face, as he genuinely liked the two men Edward had assigned his care and safety to, Tony picked up the phone and dialed a number he’d scribbled down from his voicemail a couple days earlier. They’d been playing phone tag, and Tony was hoping that this time would be different.

“NYPD Crime Lab, Detective Taylor speaking,” the man who answered greeted.

“Detective Taylor, it’s good to finally catch you,” Tony greeted back with a smile as he settled back in the chair. “I was beginning to think I was going to have to fly home to find out how I can help the NYPD.”

“Is this Doctor DiNozzo?” Mac queried with the sound of a smile of his own in his voice and Tony thought he could hear the other man’s steps as it sounded like he was moving through a building. “We just wrapped up a case. I was thinking of trying you before I left myself to see if we had better luck. Let me just get to my office so we can have some privacy. I didn’t know you were from here.”

“Born in Long Island, although I am a little afraid to admit that,” Tony replied ruefully. “Senior is kinda 50/50 within the hallowed halls of the NYPD. I’ve tried to distance myself from him.”

“Well it sounds like you’ve done a good job of that,” Mac assured, and Tony could hear the creak of leather and assumed the other man was sitting down in a chair or some other piece of furniture in his office. “I’ve never been one to assume that the a father’s crimes will be duplicated by their offspring. It helps that you come with a pretty air tight recommendation in my books. I am actually hoping that we can help each other out. I have an issue that I think the resolution to would solve one of your problems.”

“Well, now you definitely have me intrigued,” Tony countered as he absentmindedly played with a pen on his desk, “I am hoping that you are referring to my search for a Second in Command here for the Vegas Lab night shift. I’m a little confused though, I hadn’t even reached out to my contacts yet, and thanks to my father I don’t have many of them in your city. Although I suppose it helps that one of them is Commissioner Regan and his son that’s one of your fellow detectives.”

“The commissioner and Danny are good men,” Mac agreed readily, “but no, I was referring to Detective Jim Brass. I served with both him and Jethro Gibbs. Brass and I talk on occasion, and when I called last he told me about your search when I mentioned an issue with a few of my people. He told me that you were a good man and I should try giving you a call. Please, call me Mac.”

“Well, then, tell me how I can assist you,” Tony requested before taking a sip of his tea, “and I would be happy to if you’ll call me Tony. The Doctor thing is still odd to hear.”

“Gladly, Tony. I have a situation with a Sentinel and Guide couple in my lab who have formed a relationship with a third person and it’s causing some problems that I’m worried about,” Mac admitted uneasily and Tony could hear the strain and worry in his voice. “While normally I would dive right into this mess instead of sending them off, there’s some upheaval here with the Pride and I don’t know who to trust at the moment. Sentinel Danny Messer and his Guide Lindsey Monroe have formed a serious relationship with a mundane named Adam Ross who is one of our lab techs. Danny and Lindsey are both level 3 CSIs. There are those here who are unhappy about that, and some threats have been made that concern me.”

Tony frowned at even the idea that anyone would interfere. While he had concerns about a mundane and a Sentinel or Guide forming a relationship like Catherine and Warrick were flirting with, this sounded different. If a Bonded pair fell in love with a mundane and brought them into their relationship, Tony didn’t see how it was the business of anyone else’s as long as the trio were all on the same page.

Tony didn’t realize that he was sharing his agitation until CJ came over with a worried frown on his face. Taking a deep breath, Tony gave the younger Guide a reassuring smile as he tried to relax. Feeling pings of inquiry through the bond, he tried to send vibes back that he was alright before turning his attention back to Mac. “Not that it matters to me, but is this Adam completely mundane or is he a Sensitive? I only ask because while I was doing my Doctorate work I took several classes in Sentinel and Guide psychology. I actually have a minor degree in it, and I know it’s highly rare to have a complete mundane form such a strong relationship with a bonded couple.”

“Adam is pretty mum about his status other than he’s not a Sentinel or Guide,” Mac admitted, “but I would put money down that he is a Sensitive just from my experiences. Lindsey is extremely worried about him. I’ve been around a lot of Bonded pairs both here at NYPD and when I was in the service. I can honestly say that what Danny and Lindsey’s for each other isn’t any stronger than how they feel about Adam. It’s a genuine threesome, and Lindsey’s not willing to risk Adam’s life staying here.

“I would really feel better if the three of them went some place I knew I could trust. I look out for my people, Tony. Lindsey has already been through something pretty traumatic back home in Montana and wants out of New York. Both Danny and Adam have made it clear they’re following her. Jim seemed to think that the ban on a Vegas Pride would be changing although he said he couldn’t tell me why. I got the feeling though that somehow you were involved.”

Tony laughed softly and turned his chair to look at Moss whom he knew would have overheard the conversation. He wanted the other Sentinel’s opinion before he decided how to respond. He knew that he couldn’t be open about things, but he also knew that very soon the truth about him was coming out. The West Coast Primes were due the coming weekend and would be staying at the house with them to prepare for a press conference that would follow a statement from Blair and Jim backed by the Sentinel and Guide Council regarding the truth about Swings.

“Let’s just say that Vegas found themselves a unicorn that isn’t willing to be slaughtered. I am part of a threesome myself. While my relationship is still fairly new, I understand how Guide Monroe feels. I would move heaven and earth for either my Sentinel or Guide if I had to. I’ve already lost Gibbs. I sure as shit ain’t losing someone else. My suggestion would be to keep an eye on news coming out of Vegas over the next week or two, but my guess is this will make the big time. If you want to wait for that I understand, but otherwise, I’d love to talk to the three of them. Is there a chance they can come out here? I am fairly confident that a snowball has a better chance in hell than I do of being allowed on a plane to fly to New York City right now… and from the way one of my protection detail started growling just at the thought I’d say I’m right. Relax Moss, I’m not going to New York. Last I heard Senior was in town, and I have no urge to be near that asshat.”

“As Alice would say curiouser and curiouser,” Mac replied with a hum. “I’m a detective. You know that means I’m naturally inquisitive right? But, if this is even half as serious as it sounds I will keep my instincts in check. I will put in leave for the three of them starting right away, if that works for you.”

“I assure you it is and definitely more than half,” Tony informed seriously. “I have some things coming up, but that works for me. I’ll make time for them. If you could send me their files and information I’ll get started on their background checks immediately. Don’t think I missed the part where you knew Gibbs either. I expect a visit from you at some point, so I can hear stories.”

“Deal,” Mac said with a laugh before the two men exchanged secure work email addresses. “I’ll email you their travel itinerary when I get it, as well, and I look forward to visiting. It was nice talking to you, Tony. I owe you one for this.”

“If it works out, that’s good enough for me,” Tony assured quickly wrapping up the call. “No favors needed. Nice talking to you as well, Mac.”

“You want CJ to do that?” Moss questioned, confirming he had been listening to the conversation. “He does a lot of our computer stuff.”

“That’ll work,” Tony agreed with a nod as he stood up to walk around his office. “We’re going to need more space. I didn’t think things would fill up so quickly. If we do hire Danny, Lindsey, and Adam, I want them to live near the house. CJ, can you check into property available near us? Depending on how many there are, we may just buy them all and hold onto them for future Pride members.”

“Should we be making big Pride moves before we actually know that’s what Sentinel Baker and Guide Poncherello want?” CJ inquired, and Tony paused for a second, but then just huffed as he moved back to his desk when the phone rang.

“If part of what they’re coming to talk about isn’t reforming the Vegas Pride I’ll eat my Italian loafers,” Tony shot back in answer before picking up his desk phone.

“Vegas Crime Lab, DiNozzo speaking.”

“Buckeye!” Tony heard and gave a happy laugh as he settled in his chair. “How’s the desert treating you? How do your lungs feel? Why do you need a recommendation?”

  
“Wolverine!” Tony returned with a smile as Moss stood up and headed out of the office. Tony guessed that he was going to do a check on everything. “Lungs are fine. I told you it wasn’t anything to worry about.”

“Yeah well, your idea of when it’s ok to be worried and mine are completely different,” Dr. Brad Pitt pointed out, “and I couldn’t come up with another reason why you would need a recommendation for a doctor.”

“Relax, Brad,” Tony chided mildly before taking a sip of his tea again. “I can’t go into detail just yet, but I promise on my Zenga that it isn’t anything like that. Let’s just say things are changing here and I am looking for a doctor or two who would be willing to see a variety of patients ranging from every day stuff to the after care for victims of Pneumonic Plague, Anthrax, and Sarin. I know you gave me a couple recommendations, but things have changed here, and I am looking for someone or two someone’s that can be more… connected let’s say to myself and those around me. If one of those was you I would be over the moon, but I didn’t think you’d wanna leave Bethesda.”

“Well, you’re right there,” Brad conceded and was silent for a few moments, “but I might actually have a recommendation for you. It would be a bonded pair. A Sentinel and his Guide who are both doctors. They both actually consulted with me when you had the Plague. We keep in touch and I actually just talked to the Guide, Robert Chase, a week or so back. He said that he didn’t like how things were going at the hospital they worked at and were thinking of moving but wasn’t sure about someone being willing to put up with House. Greg certainly has a reputation for being difficult, but if there’s anyone who is an expert at dealing with that kind of personality it’s you. Greg’s kinda like a doctor version of Gibbs.”

“Sounds like a match made in heaven,” Tony quipped in return before making some notes of the names for CJ. “Would you be willing to put out some feelers for me to see if they’re interested? If they are they can call me if they have questions or just come on out for a talk. I’m not allowed to leave Vegas at the moment.”

“You in trouble Buckeye?” Brad asked sounding worried and Tony waved a hand in the air in a dismissive gesture even though he knew his friend couldn’t see it.

“Not in the way you mean, but you know me. Wherever I go trouble follows. My cousin Eddie and his friends are here for a visit though. So, no worried. You remember me telling you about him, right?”

“I do,” Brad said quietly and paused again before speaking once more. “You call me if you need me, Tony.”

“I promise,” Tony assured before turning the conversation to more pleasant topics. He was just getting a promise to visit out of his friend when Greg walked in. Quickly saying goodbye to Brad, Tony greeted his Guide with a smile as the younger man settled into a chair in front of him.

“How’s the case?” He asked, and when the younger man wrinkled his nose, Tony lifted an eyebrow in question.

“Messy,” Greg responded with a huff, “and I don’t mean in the complicated way. Smelly, too. Nicky’s in taking a lemon shower ‘cause he drew the short straw. How are the recruiting calls going?”

“Nothing definite, but I have solid leads on not only the shift spots including another lab tech, but I have a line on doctors for the Pride,” Tony advised then made a face before continuing. “I suppose I should stop saying Pride like it’s a foregone conclusion that the ban on Vegas having a formal Pride is going to be lifted. Anyway, all I need now is a lead on a couple psychologists or psychiatrists and we’ll be all set for the moment. I’m gonna put some bugs in some ears tonight about them and hopefully we’ll have that settled soon, as well.

“I have CJ looking into a few things including properties around the house. Things are expanding more rapidly than we’d planned, and I think we’re going to need them now rather than later. If the SIC lead works out he’ll come with two partners. One of them is his bonded Guide and the other is a Mundane possibly a Sensitive that they’re in a relationship with. It sounds like, from what Mac Taylor the Lead at the NYPD Crime Lab who called me said, there’s some issues in New York, and the Sentinel and Guide are worried that the Mundane won’t be safe there because of their relationship.”

“People suck,” Greg offered as Nick strolled in, his hair still wet from his shower.

“Now, not all o’ them,” Nick contradicted as he took the seat next to Greg. “Who are we talkin’ about?”

Quickly, Greg filled the Sentinel in on what he’d learned so far earning a pleased grunt from his mate. “Sounds like you’ve been busy, Tone. I’m sure you’ll find the others soon enough. I agree that it sounds like were gonna need the new properties soon. If we find somethin’ suitable I am in for us just gettin’ them an’ we can just rent ‘em out to the new people or somethin’. We’ll have to look into the legalities of all o’this. I think we need to think ‘bout adding a lawyer to our list.”

Tony wrinkled his nose at the thought and shook his head as he remembered something. “No, once Aaron Hotchner is awake we’ll be covered there as long as he’s willing to do it. I remember from my research after finding out who Gibbs’ mates were that he has a law degree that was, at least at the time, still active. We may need someone temporarily, though. I’m also gonna make some quiet inquiries into the rest of Spencer’s former team. I’d like to know if they are people we need to think about bringing in, or if we need to keep them away from him.”

“Good idea,” Greg agreed with a nod. “Is it meal time yet? I’m ready for a break and something to eat.”

“Yes,” CJ said standing. “I’m starving. Moss went earlier to get something for us all after he did his rounds. I hope salads and grinders works for everyone. He had a craving.”

“Works for me, Hoss,” Nick agreed, and the two Texans fell into a conversation with Greg offering a comment now and then while Tony made some more quick calls. Once Moss returned, they moved to the break room, and Tony put his searches on hold. He was pleased with what he’d accomplished thus far. Things were going well, and it felt like his new family was shaping up. He just hoped that when they went public things didn’t take a turn for the worse. With his luck though, it was only inevitable.

# Interlude: Li’l Bit of Romance, Li’l Bit of Love

Author’s Note: Text at the beginning of the third section in italics is a quote from The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

Tony lay in bed with his nose pressed into the side of Nick’s neck. Greg was curled up into Tony’s back, and the action told Tony how close the Guide was to waking. One thing he’d found amusing was how opposite their sleeping needs were to their images. People always assumed that because Greg was a Guide that he was very touchy feely with anyone and everyone. The truth of the matter was that because of where he’d begun his career, the former Lab Rat had a bit of touch phobia, especially when it came to strangers.

It wasn’t as bad with the people he knew and cared about, and on his own terms he was quite affectionate and cuddly. Especially with Tony and Nick at home or when he needed grounding at work. When it came to sleep though, a life-time of habits kicked in. One of the first things they’d done when they came out of bonding was to order a King-sized bed. There needed to be room for Greg to be untouched as he fell asleep, and for the other two of them not to have to be literally laying on top of each other. Although...

Tony found out that Greg wasn’t the only one whose sleeping preferences were opposite of his image. Nick, being the Sentinel, had an image of a total tough guy, which he was. The thing was though that the hard exterior came with a smooshy interior and a romantic streak as wide as the state he was born in. Nick was as affectionate as Greg was “supposed to be” and even more so with Tony and Greg. Tony found that one of the things that helped ease Nick into sleeping without nightmares was to sleep with him either wrapped around someone to having someone wrapped around him.

Before Tony, Greg had suffered though being wrapped up almost in a cocoon of Nick’s arms as the older man feel to sleep at night, and thus not getting the greatest sleep himself. Getting buried alive held more lasting after-effects for the Texan than just coming online. He still struggled with claustrophobia at times and couldn’t sleep in total darkness anymore. While they hadn’t talked about it directly, Tony read Nick’s personnel file before they even met and knew from that the senior CSI had PTSD. Between the stalking, the kidnapping, and the woman who almost shot him it wasn’t really surprising.

Fortunately, despite the years that Tony spent trying to get comfortable in a twin sized bed, he wasn’t opposed to a little affectionate sleeping. The bedroom temperature was kept somewhere near meat locker levels to accommodate Nick’s cuddling needs and Tony’s years of sleeping in the cooler East Coast temperatures. So, at night, Greg got to start his evening without anyone in his space. Nick and Tony fell asleep curled up together, and it wasn’t unusual to find the three of them in a pile together somewhere in the middle of the bed by the time they woke up.

Tony had found that usually either he or Greg woke up first. Nick was one to sleep in if he could. If Tony woke up first, he tried his best to ease himself out of bed without waking the Sentinel up too much. Usually, once he was gone, Greg would roll over until he was next to the oldest of the trio and the two of them would fall back to sleep. That morning was one where Tony woke up first, but because it was their day off, decided not to hurry out of bed. Warrick had been left in charge for the few days the trio needed off while they took care of meeting people for both Lab and Sentinel and Guide reasons. Needless to say, the Sentinel had been grumpy about the idea and grumbled about the need for a new Second in Command for the Night Shift Team.

Tony wasn’t sure how he felt about constantly having to leave his team in someone else’s hand. The knowledge that it would only get worse if he was leading a Pride, should that really be in the works, was weighing heavily on him. He was enjoying his new job and didn’t think he was ready to give up what he did for a living to become a glorified politician. It was a conundrum that he was going to have to find a creative solution to, and it was something he planned on running by the West Coast Alphas while they were visiting. Greg was quite the historian of not only the mob in Vegas, but generally anything involving the West Coast. Because of that, he’d been able to give Tony a rundown on what he knew of the couple when they said they were coming for a visit.

As he lay in bed, he decided to check on the others and flipped the mental switch that would allow him to use his enhanced senses. After bonding, he’d found that being a Swing Sentinel Guide wasn’t quite as much of the self-contained being that people were afraid of. He couldn’t be both a Sentinel and a Guide at the same time. It was more that he had the ability to be one or the other at any given time. Of course, doing either required that he had the availability of the corresponding mate to do so. He was prone to the dangers any other Sentinel or Guide was. He could zone like any other Sentinel or be emotionally overwhelmed like any other Guide. He figured that it was why a Swing needed two mates and didn’t come online until he’d met them. It would be simply too difficult and too dangerous. It was the justification that they’d used to explain why Aaron Hotchner had to be put into a medically induced coma, but it wasn’t something that Tony fully understood.

He sorta wished that Blair and Jim were coming that weekend as well but agreed that them delaying another visit until later when things were calmer were for the best. He wasn’t sure that he was ready to see the North American Pinnacle Prime Sentinel again until they had more answers about what was going on. Hopefully by that time the man would be less of an asshat. Not wanting to think about the Pinnacle couple or the dangers he was living in, he shoved it all to the back of his mind, and went back to checking on the others in the house.

The first person he always checked on was Spencer, but as was normal found him missing from the grounds. When he didn’t find either Edward or Derek, he knew that the Guide was at Bennington with Aaron. He located both Emily and Jasmine inside the house, and from the rhythm of their heartbeats and breathing, he knew that they were sleeping, which further confirmed Spencer’s location. The girls were really only needed to watch over Aaron when Spencer wasn’t there. So, because of that they were mostly at the hospital outside of visiting hours since the Guide spent as much time with his Swing as he could.

CJ and Moss sounded to be outside doing a patrol of the grounds, and it sounded like CJ was on the phone with his mamma, which made Tony smile. Both men were incredibly close to their families and called them at least once a day. Sometimes though that was a bit of a negative, and when Tony realized the youngest couple of them all had taken to calling their families when Nick was either sleeping or not around, he knew they’d picked up on the Sentinel’s longing for his own family.

Between Nick, Greg and Tony himself, the Swing knew that Nick was the one that, despite the reasons for his separation, missed his family the most. Tony detested Senior with a venom that was generally reserved for the former NCIS agent’s handful of enemies. Greg did still have some contact with his parents. He just didn’t go to visit them and tried to limit his contact with them to small doses. Tony had learned eventually from his Guide that the younger man held out hope that maybe someday things would change, and he could have a better relationship with the couple.

Nick’s homesickness had grown to the point that Tony asked CJ to begin a quiet hunt for their Sentinel’s brother Jack. Initially they’d believed that it would be a relatively easy affair, but they had quickly been disproved of that notion. Because of that, the young Guide had changed tactics, and with Moss’ help, was using some non-digital methods to find the man. Tony trusted the younger men and knew if they ran into too many road blocks they’d get Edward or even Emily involved in the search.

“Everythin’ cool?” Came from in front of him in a sleepy murmur, and Tony smiled and then pressed a kiss to the back of his mate’s neck. While Nick couldn’t help Tony when he was using his Sentinel gifts, he’d found that he did seem to be aware of when they were being used. They chalked it up to having something to do with the bond, and for now that was explanation enough.

**

“Yeah,” Tony confirmed softly feeling Greg roll away. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw his younger lover had rolled to lay flat on his stomach with the covers pulled over his head. Snorting in amusement, Tony let the Guide be and turned his attention back to Nick nuzzling behind the Sentinel’s ear.

“Fuck yeah,” Nick approved softly giving a humm of pleasure. “The spirit is willin’ babe, but I think the body’s still worn out from earlier. How much sleep have we had anyway?”

“Not enough,” Greg grumbled unhappily from under the pillow, “so shut the fuck up!”

This time Nick chuckled along with Tony as the two rolled out of bed. They each got dressed in house pants and bribed Greg out from under the covers for kisses before leaving him to his rest. After Nick left the room, Tony shut the door of the bathroom cutting off the light and pulled the blackout curtains earning himself a barely understandable thanks as Greg fell back to sleep.

By the time he reached the kitchen, Nick had the coffee going and was dishing up some fruit salad for them each to tide them over until they could make a meal with Greg once he got up. The lack of sleep was somewhat deliberate due to the guests arriving that day. The three of them had left shift about an hour early when things turned quiet. After talking to Mac Taylor, Tony immediately called Ecklie to let him know about the trio and promised that he’d add their interviews into his time off. It helped to soothe the man’s ire somewhat at having Tony off again. Even though the older man understood, like most mundanes in positions of power over Sentinels and Guides at their places of importance, he grew aggravated at disruption that could come with having high ranking Sentinel and Guides underneath them.

Tony promised Conrad that if he did hire the trio, he would make sure any S&G commitments that could take them away from the lab would be minimized as much as absolutely possible. It was something that he planned on going over with the three of them while he interviewed them. The whole point of hiring Danny Messer was so that there was someone he could trust to run the lab when Tony had to be away for any future Pride needs. That wouldn’t be possible if the Sentinel held a position of responsibility within the Pride as well. 

“Wanna go out and sit on the swing?” Nick asked as he took their empty bowls to the sink to rinse out before putting them in the dish washer.

“Yeah, I have a little while before I have to get ready for the interviews,” Tony advised as he freshened up their coffee cups and then followed Nick outside trading Nick’s cup for his hand.

At the back of their property was a pool with a pool house. The pool house had a covered deck on it with a swing that faced out into the desert of the national park. Tony thought the placement of the pool was odd, but he’d grown to enjoy the swing on the back deck. The desert landscape was unlike anything he’d grown up with on the East Coast or his years in the Great Lakes Region for college and then the start of his career. He found it peaceful to sit on the swing and stare out at the large expanse of sand and cactus as he contemplated all the changes going on in his life.

“Have you decided on what you’re gonna wear?” Nick asked knowing Tony had been debating what image he wanted to portray with the home interview of the possible new Second in Command along with a new CSI and Lab Tech. Tony didn’t want to wear his normal suit that he’d have on at work but thought his typical house wear of sweats and an old t-shirt was a little too casual.

“I think probably jeans and a nice shirt,” Tony answered as they sat down on the swing with their hands still clasped. “I mean they aren’t going to just be co-workers, they’ll be future Pack members also.”

“We’re still sure they’re gonna lift the ban?” Nick questioned, and Tony mostly answered with a shrug.

“As sure as I can be,” He admitted, “you don’t agree?”

“Yeah, I think you’re prob’ly right,” Nick confessed after thinking about it for a few minutes. “It makes sense. You’re not one that’s gonna get corrupted.”

“You mean we,” Tony corrected gently before turning to look at his Mate. “I’m not doing this alone, and I have no interest in being some secret leader when it’s supposed to be the three of us. I know that I’m probably gonna end up being the more accessible one, and after shit comes out the one everyone focuses on, but this is all of us or none of us. Frankly, none of it will be more important to me than you and Greg and those we bring into our own little family. The people we’re involving now, the people that already mean something to us… Gibbs always said, “family first,” and it’s a notion I believe in firmly now that I have one.”

“Yeah, ok,” Nick consented easily, and they fell into a comfortable silence for several minutes just enjoying each other’s company.

“Guess I’m just not lookin’ forward to all o’ the spotlight. I’ll admit though my instincts have been pullin’ at me to take charge in certain situations for a while. More’n jus’ that day in the lab when you came online. I, well Greg an’ I both, tried not to throw our weight around, because we know that the Mundanes in charge don’t get certain things. Even the ones who have the book knowledge like Ecklie. We jus’ didn’t wanna make waves, and it was even more awkward when Griss was around ‘cause me an’ G were so much stronger than him. I kinda wonder if that’s part’a why he left.”

“That wasn’t what included in the reasons he gave me when I interviewed with him, and I didn’t sense that he was holding anything back,” Tony assured squeezing Nick’s hand for a moment. “I’ve always been really good at reading people, even before I came online, I mean. He told me he was leaving because of Sarah. He was worried that he wouldn’t be able to resist her much longer. He really cares for her, but they’re both Guides, and it just wouldn’t have worked.”

“I think he’s with Lady Heather,” Nick confided after a brief pause. “She was a local dominatrix that ran her own Club. Her an’ Griss had this wild connection. I always thought they belonged together an’ couldn’t figure out why they didn’ just go for it. I heard she closed up shop suddenly an’ left town not long after Grissom did. I’m not sure how Sarah would take that if she knew. So, if they are together, I’m glad they’re bein quiet about it for now at leas’. Maybe we’ll be able to find her a Sentinel an’ Griss and Lady Heather can come back to town. Word is she hasn’t sold the club or anythin’ jus’ yet.”

Tony hummed his agreement as he considered what kind of Sentinel a Guide like Sarah Sidle would need. Definitely one that was both patient and strong willed or she would just run all over them. Male and older were probably safe bets. From what Tony had heard Sarah had a type, especially after the fiasco that was her relationship with Hank the paramedic. It was something that Tony was going to have to think about. He was sure given enough time he could come up with a good selection of possibilities. He didn’t like the thought that a Sentinel and Guide pairing had fled Vegas so they could be together and made a mental note to research this Lady Heather to find out what she was all about.

“We’ll figure something out,” He eventually replied to his own Sentinel and scooting closer to the man, sighed happily when Nick put his arm around him. It was Vegas in the middle of the afternoon, which meant it was hot, but Tony wanted the contact with his Mate before all of the strangers descended upon them.

“Every day since I’ve come online I am thankful that I found you and Greg. Whatever else it’s brought with it is worth it to have you two in my life. My whole life I’ve been an oddity because I was Undetermined. All I ever wanted was to come online and find a Mate, so I could be normal. I’m not sure that if someone had told me when I did come online I’d still be an oddity and have two Mates I would have felt any differently. Now though I can’t imagine what my life would be without the two of you.

“All I want is for people like Grissom and Sarah and the trio coming to us to have a place where it doesn’t matter if you’re an oddity because everyone else is too. I want our Pack to be the place where oddities can come to be just like everyone else. I want there to be no oddities here. I want us to make a place where everyone feels as accepted as I do. I’m pretty sure I am falling in love with you and Greg and I want everyone to have a chance at feeling like this, because I can’t imagine there’s any better feeling in the world. Inclusion and love. That’s what I want the Vegas Pride to be about.”

“Then, we will be,” Nick agreed and then the two fell silent enjoying each other’s company curled together despite the heat of the afternoon, until they felt Greg wake up. When Nick stole a kiss before they headed into the house, Tony returned it happily. By the time they reached the house the Swing felt much more confident about his day and the upcoming weekend.

~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~

Moss stepped up to the swing at the back of the property that CJ headed to so that he could call his mamma. They both had taken to seeking out some privacy for calling their families. When they learned that strong family ties were something rare in this group they’d come to be a part of, they’d decided to try and not throw their families in the other’s faces. Edward had already told them both it was silly and that no one expected them to hide their families, but still… Moss noticed that Derek had cut down on talk about his mamma and sisters as well. So, apparently it wasn’t just them.

“How’s things?” He asked as he sat down and handed CJ a cup of black coffee. “Your sister still plotting against that dumbass?”

“Mamma says hi,” CJ passed along and took a drink of his coffee before continuing. “Apparently, she’s already moved onto his best friend, and swears that it’s true love. Mamma says she’s been watching too much Princess Bride. I don’t understand girls. I’m glad we didn’t have to go through that mess. Oh, and the twins are grounded for life. Apparently, their latest prank backfired in a big way, and daddy’s still trying to get the pink out of his hair.” There were three younger siblings between the two of them. CJ had a younger sister that his parents adopted from another country, and Moss had two younger brothers, who were identical twins and quite a bit younger than him.

“Is your mamma still pushing for a visit?” Moss asked and from the huff of annoyance he got from CJ he knew the answer was yes already. Technically, given that he’d been listening to the conversation, he knew the answer, but they liked the comfort of normality of things like talking over phone conversations.

“I’m glad that Edward let us fill your daddy in on what’s goin’ on,” CJ muttered before taking another drink of his coffee. “I think it’s the only thing keeping her from taking the first plane here. We never should have told her we were in Vegas. She’s got this notion in her head that it would be just fine if she popped on over for a visit. Forget the fact that we’re working. Your daddy got on for a bit and promised he’d keep her in Texas. Did you know that Ellison approached him to take over the South Eastern Region? I guess they have enough evidence that the current Pride Alpha over the region is an asshat that they’ve removed him from his duties. Daddy asked if this had somethin’ to do with what was goin’ on here. I told him that I wasn’t for sure, but I wouldn’ be surprised if’n it was.”

CJ took a deep breath and let it out slowly, which drew Moss’ attention. “I told him that Vegas felt like him. Told him that Tony felt like my Alpha, an’ I felt like I was betraying him an’ Mamma D.”

“An’ what’d he say to that?” Moss asked his voice husky from emotion knowing that he felt the same. Only in his case it was even more complicated because the Alpha he’d moved his allegiance from was also his father, and one of the best men that Moss had ever met.

“He sighed an’ said that he didn’t want us to worry about such things,” CJ admitted as he ran a hand through his hair. “Said that it was the normal way of things, and not all Sentinel and Guide children stayed within their home Pride. He said that he an’ everyone else there was proud’a what we were doin’ and were just happy that we’d finally found a spot to plant our feet. He’d promise that he’d keep the mamma’s corralled. Said he’d tried not to scare them so far an’ had been vague about things, but it looked like they were gonna have to have a franker talk. Told me neither of us should accept a call from anyone from home tonight if someone called. He thought they would need a couple days to freak out before we talked to ‘em again and if we accepted their calls they’d jus’ make things harder on us before they were thinkin’ straight. I never thought that someplace other than Texas would feel like home.”

“Yeah,” Moss murmured in agreement as he leaned into CJ hoping the contact would soothe his hurt some. Maybe it was a good thing that they were gonna have so many visitors, ‘cause it would keep his Guide’s mind busy and off things goin’ on at home. He made a mental note to clue in Nicky and Edward as to what was goin’ on just in case though. “At the same time though, I don’ think that home has been home for quite some time, and I think that we both knew the place where we planted our feet would never be there. S’too much bad history there to settle down. I’d never feel comfortable with your safety. S’bad enough when we go visitin’, but I never imagined Vegas would be the place either. It is though. Weird as it is, this is home.”

When his Guide wrapped an arm around him, Moss drained his cup and set it aside before leaning more comfortably into his longtime best friend and Mate. When CJ’s hand began rubbing Moss’ scalp he sighed happily and closed his eyes for a few moments to enjoy it. Things were calm enough yet that he didn’t feel like they couldn’t take a couple minutes to themselves. That wouldn’t be the case over the next few days as they had the West Coast Primes there. Even though they knew that they were coming with their own protection detail of 4, it still would add to the general stress level of the team that was already there.

They really needed another set of two that could be on property at all times. It was something that he had been meaning to talk to Edward about. Things were going to blow up here for them pretty soon, and Moss was sure that despite the fact that they lived in a gated community they would still have some issues. Taking a deep breath, he put the item on his mental to do list and then turned his mind away. This was his time with his Guide, not time to be worrying about work things. Tilting his head toward CJ, Moss placed a kiss underneath the man’s jaw back near his ear, and smiled when his Guide practically purred.

“I miss having time with you,” CJ said softly as he pulled Moss closer. “Somehow this time it feels like there’s just no off time. We’re gonna have to talk to Edward and Nick about that.”

“I was just thinkin’ that,” Moss murmured quietly, “but I decided that was an item for later. In all the exotic places that we imagined settling down in someday, I don’t recall Las Vegas ever being on the list.”

CJ snorted his agreement and hid a smile in his Sentinel’s hair. “Some would say that showgirls are plenty exotic.”

“That’s not really our thing,” Moss reminded with a half grin as he looked over to see his Guide smirking, “we’re more of the showboy type.”  
  


“Does that even exist? Showboys?” CJ inquired cheekily, and Moss laughed quietly.

“If not, it should,” Moss bemoaned playfully, “we’ll have to make a list of the shows we wanna see. Eventually we’ll get days off, and I’d like to take in some. I know that you’re itching to go play poker at one of the Sentinel and Guide friendly tables.”

“I haven’t taken a shit ton of money off anyone in a while,” CJ agreed happily, “but the rotating chess game I have goin’ on with Reid and Double Doc helps. It’s surely more challenging. We’re gonna set up a friendly weekly poker game here once things calm down. That’ll be fun. I like this place. I know I keep sayin’ that, but I can’t get over how much I jus’… feel like I’ve found where I belong.”

Moss was about to reply but paused before he could as he felt a change in Tony. “Feels like the Boss is wakin’ up. We better do another round and make sure nothin’s changed.”

“Duty calls,” CJ agreed, and the two gathered their empty cups that they’d drop off at the back door before they started their rounds. For one, when things changed, it seemed like it just might be for the better. It was something neither of them were used to, but it was a change that they were happy to welcome.

~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~

_"We must not judge of the means," said Dupin, "by this shell of an examination. The Parisian police, so much extolled for acumen, are cunning, but no more. There is no method in their proceedings, beyond the method of the moment. They make a vast parade of measures; but, not unfrequently, these are so ill adapted to the objects proposed, as to put us in mind of Monsieur Jourdain's calling for his robe-de-chambre—pour mieux entendre la musique. The results…”_

Spencer paused in his recital of The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe and laid his head down on to rest on Aaron’s chest. Both of his hands were wrapped around one of Aaron’s because he felt like if he didn’t clutch at him as tightly as possible, his love would disappear. He didn’t know how this was his life. He didn’t understand why he kept having to be alone. He wondered if he was some horrible person in a past life and that was why this one was so shitty. He didn’t really believe in reincarnation, but it was as good of an explanation as any.

“You ok, Spencer?” Derek asked from his spot by the window.

“No,” Spencer confirmed, knowing there was no reason to pretend otherwise. Derek knew him well enough that he wouldn’t believe anything else anyway. “I’m not, and I’m not sure how, even if things change, that I’ll ever be able to trust good time again. Every time things get better, something happens and everything ends up horribly worse than they were before. I need him back, Derek. I need Aaron back!”

Sitting up, Spencer brought Aaron’s hand up to his face and ran his cheek over the back of it. “I thought that maybe if I could see him every day it would be enough, but it’s not. I need to hear his voice, feel his touch. I need his confidences, and I need that place he fills up in my mind to be active. I can’t get him back until I find someone willing to be our Sentinel, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that when Aaron was the one who found Gibbs. I feel like I’ll never get over how we left Gibbs alone, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully forgive myself for giving into Aaron and Jethro and letting him be alone. In protecting Aaron, we neglected Gibbs, and look what happened! Aaron still got shot and almost died. I should have never gone along with it.”

“No one had any way of knowing it would turn out like that,” Derek tried, but Spencer shot him down immediately.

“But we did!” He insisted turning to shoot a glare at Derek who just held his hands up. When Edward came in from his position outside the door, Spencer just ignored him. The Sentinel was a mystery that he didn’t have time for at the moment.

“Normally I wouldn’t quote things that are attributed to the wrong person, but in this instance, Einstein’s misquote about insanity fits. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It’s a stupid quote that isn’t true and wasn’t said by Albert Einstein, but the spirit of it fits. We didn’t really do anything that any other Swing trio before us had done, but yet we expected that a miracle would happen, and we’d all be ok! We didn’t do everything we could. We didn’t look into what was really going on. We didn’t take the offer of protection detail because Aaron and Gibbs were stubborn, proud assholes. We didn’t push for something different. We just split ourselves up and hoped that maybe things would be different. Well, they weren’t! Nothing different happened at all except that they killed the wrong person!”

“Spencer, it’s not your fault,” Edward said softly and firmly as he came over. When Derek slipped out of the room, Spencer ignored him as he was too busy glaring at Edward. “And while that glare is cute, it really doesn’t have much of an effect on me. My cousin Ash is a lot like you and has been giving me the same bloody look since he was in diapers. I’m rather immune to it by now. So, you might as well knock it off. It isn’t your fault. It isn’t Gibbs’ fault. It isn’t Aaron’s fault.”

Edward came over to the bed, to stand across from where Spencer was sitting. For a moment he studied Aaron, who lay on the bed unmoving and hopefully unaware of the pain and angst his coma was causing his Guide. Soon though, he lifted his eyes, and once more Spencer found himself shoving away the inappropriate feelings he had for Edward Paddington. Much like his attraction to Steve McGarrett, it felt wrong to be so attracted to someone while his one Mate that was still alive lay in a coma. He had no business allowing himself such things until he could figure out a way to find himself and Aaron a third Sentinel. As attractive as Edward Paddington was, somehow Spencer couldn’t imagine the man wanting to give up everything and weight himself down with the responsibility that came with a Swing SentinelGuide. Not to mention, the man would have to give up his job with the Council and…

“Are you even listening to me, Spencer?” Edward asked sounding amused, and Reid blinked looking up at him with a frown.

“No, frankly, I’m not,” he shot back with a pout, and just barely stopped himself from crossing his arms over his chest. Not even Henry was allowed to get away with that, and Spencer was certainly a lot older than his Godson.

“Well do try, dear,” Edward quipped before going back to what he had been trying to relay to the young Guide he was so incredibly attracted to. “I realize that you didn’t know Gibbs very well, despite the fact that you were mated with him. However, through your bond you should have been able to sense certain things that I know to be a fact through Anthony.”

“He hates being called Anthony,” Spencer interrupted with a scowl, and Edward rewarded him with an eyeroll that only made Reid’s scowl deeper.

“Yes, I am aware,” Edward returned cheekily, “it’s why I only do it when he’s not around. Mother, Auntie Isabella, and the old ME at NCIS are really the only ones that can get away with it to his face. I cannot help though if in my head he’s always been Anthony. It’s how I was raised, and you will not derail me from my thought. So, nice try little genius.”

Spencer opened his mouth to snap back but closed it again when Edward held up a hand. As much as he wanted to argue, there wasn’t any way to get around the point Edward was about to make. “Shannon may not have been Gibbs’ Guide, but she was his mate as far as he was concerned. Then there’s Kelly. Because while Shannon may not have had any bond with him, he certainly had one with his child, who from the records I have seen was on her way to becoming quite a strong Guide herself. The severing of that bond in the environment he was in when it happened caused irreparable damage to his Sentinel side. He is not the first I have seen in my time at this job to have been damaged so.

“I’m honestly surprised that anyone allowed him to bond with the two of you. While it wouldn’t necessarily have been unhealthy, it certainly would have been a long hard road as you American’s say. I know that Tony believes there was still a chance for Gibbs to heal from the loss of his child and first mate. Since he knew the man better than I, I will not discount his words. I do though think that there was a part of him that was simply too scared to give himself to the new bond fully, but the sense of duty instilled in him by the Marines was too strong for him to ignore completely. So, please, allow me to say again. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. So, knock it the bloody hell off!”

When Spencer must stayed mulishly quiet, Edward rolled his eyes. “Now, there is a reason why Aaron has such a large bed. It is so that you can lay with him, and I am fairly sure that you are aware of this detail. So, I would suggest that it might be good for you and he both if you were to lay down at his side and take a short rest. I will stay in here with you while you do. That way Derek cannot use it as opportunity to tease you later.”

Taking a deep breath, Spencer admitted, at least to himself, that maybe the Englishman had a point. He wasn’t aware Gibbs had suffered lasting damage from his wife and daughter’s deaths. It was something he was going to have to consider. Deciding that a nap would actually be nice, Spencer took off his shoes, and then climbed up into bed next to his Mate. Laying his head on Aaron’s shoulder, Spencer was startled momentarily when Edward began reading aloud from a book he hadn’t seen him bring in. So, as he drifted off to sleep, he had the scent of his Swing in his nose, and the sound of Edward reading Le Morte d’ Arthur on his mind.

When the nurse came in later to check on Aaron, she noted that Aaron’s vitals had improved significantly. However, because Spencer was laying in the bed with him, she chalked it up to that and noted such on his file. It didn’t even occur to her that it could be the sound of Edward’s voice, as he was still reading to the slumbering pair, that could be responsible for the improvement.

# Chapter Ten: Visitors, Visitors, and More Visitors

Tony was sitting at the kitchen table listening to Nick discuss security concerns with Moss and CJ as Greg helped Tony cut up fresh green beans for dinner. Reid was upstairs in his room, and Tony hoped that he would be joining them for dinner that evening. He could only imagine how hard the younger Guide’s situation was, but it was Tony’s feeling that cutting himself off from those that cared about him wasn’t the solution. He hadn’t pushed how much Spencer isolated himself yet, but if it went on much longer he would. He had a responsibility to the younger man that went behind the Pack and had everything to do with the loyalty Tony would feel for Gibbs until the day the Swing died.

So, Spencer Reid would always be someone Tony took a great deal of interest in where the younger man’s health and happiness was concerned. There were enough psychology classes in his credits from the various universities that Tony had attended that he knew this isolation wasn’t good long term for Spencer. So, he’d let things ride over the weekend with their being so many strangers in the house, but after that things were going to have to change. He just hoped that Spencer came around before Tony had to force it.

Tony was just about to pick up another handful of beans from the bowl when he heard the doorbell ring. He started to rise, but got a glare from Nick that told him to keep his butt in his chair. While Tony did as was asked, the eye roll and huff he gave in return should have signaled to the Sentinel just how unhappy Tony was becoming over all of the coddling, no matter if Tony understood the reasoning or not.

Dialing up his hearing slightly, Tony waited in his chair until he heard the unfamiliar voices on the other side of the door announce themselves as being the trio from New York. Standing, he gave Greg a quick peck on the lips before he headed off to rescue his hopefully new employees from his overprotective Sentinel.

“OK, Nicky, I think they’ve been raked over the coals enough,” Tony said in greeting, and hoped that the grin on his face relayed that there were no hard feelings to both Nick and the newcomers. “It’s not like you weren’t expecting them. It’s nice to meet the three of you. I am Night Shift Supervisor Dr. Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. Please though, call me Tony or I answer to nicknames fairly easily once we’ve known each other long enough. If things work out, most at the lab call me Boss.”

“Nice to meet ya,” the man Tony recognized as being Danny Metter said with a smile as he held out his hand for a shake. “I’m Sentinel Danny Messer. This is my Guide and Mate Lindsey Monroe, and our other Mate Adam Ross who is a Mundane Sensitive. We usually don’t share that last part, but we didn’t wanna start things off here on the wrong foot.”

“I appreciate that,” Tony said with an easy smile as he shook Lindsey’s hand once it was offered and then Adam’s. “Why don’t we go into the library and talk. I am sure someone will join us since they don’t much let me have two seconds to myself. From the glare I’m getting from Nick, my guess is that he’s the one coming with us. If you’ll follow me this way I can get this show on the road.”

Once they’d reached the library, and Nick passed out drinks from the mini fridge that they kept there, Tony settled on the more informal seating arrangement instead of the desk and chairs in front of it. Nick would have had to loom behind him and looking like a delicate flower wasn’t really the way he wanted to start off with these three.

“I am sure you have some questions already, and I’ll be happy to answer them once we get the interview portion out of the way,” Tony advised as he settled into a chair with Nick plopping down on an arm putting himself between Tony and the New York trio. “So, why Vegas? Danny, Mac said you felt pulled this way. Do you have some connection out here?”

“No man,” Danny began shaking his head in denial, “It’s the weirdest thing. I’ve spent my whole live in New York City or one of the burrows. I never imagined that I’d leave it, but when we realized that things were becoming too dangerous for Adam, this was the place that seemed to call to us. To be honest, it was where we felt we belonged even before we knew there was an opportunity. When Mac said that there was openings, that just confirmed what we already felt. I mean, we’ve already started the moving process. The lab has been given notice as has all the utilities and landlords and such back home. My family’s packin’ up our apartment as we speak and said they’d ship things out here for us. So, even if we don’t get the job we’ll be here. It just… It feels like it’s where we’re supposed to be.”

“Huh,” Tony offered sitting back in the chair feeling more surprised than confused, and maybe he shouldn’t be surprised either. He was though, even though he didn’t think he needed many more confirmations that something big was changing. It was one thing when the people that were already here wanted to stay, but now it seemed that he was pulling people he didn’t even know to Vegas. It was something that might take some time getting used to.

“Well fortunately none of your files has anything in them that concerns me,” Tony offered frankly. “Danny, the file Mac sent me on you had information about your connection to a local gang called the Tanglewood Boys, but he sent a note saying you’d handled the whole situation correctly. Honestly, I’m not concerned about that. It’s clearly in your past, and I’d be the last one to throw stones about what someone’s family did considering the crap Senior pulls. All of your references spoke highly about you, including Commissioner Reagan and Detective Reagan, when I called them to get the insight of people I know to be honorable.

“Danny, you would be Second in Command in the lab, which means that none of you will be able to hold any kind of authoritative position in the Pack should we be allowed to form one. I’m hiring you because I need someone I can trust at the lab when my other commitments pull me away. Are you ok with that?”

Danny quickly nodded and after sharing a look with Lindsey and Adam, who Tony noted he got nods from, the New York Sentinel went on to explain their circumstances. “Things with the Pack back home ain’t goin’ so hot these days. The Commish says that he’s gonna get things straightened out and is tryin’ to take over, but it’s gonna be ugly. I know how Pack’s are suppose ta run though, and we’re here to be of use to you guys and the Pack should it happen in any way we can. I ain’t all that interested in politics an’ I know that getting’ involved in Pack shit is what that comes down to. If it’s all the same the three of us have talked about that and we’d prefer this arrangement than anythin’ that would mean us havin’ to deal with that other stuff.”

“We know where our strengths lie,” Lindsey said taking over for her Sentinel. “I was part of my Pack back in Montana before moving to New York, and like Danny, I have no interest in Pack politics. I just wanna help how I can in an environment that will accept our bond with Adam. The relationship that Danny and I have with him is more important to us than anything else. If you can promise us that he’ll be treated like anyone else in your Pack, then you’ll have our undying devotion. All we want is a place to work and love without constantly having to justify his place in our lives.”

Tony nodded and was quiet for several minutes as he studied Adam who Tony could tell was hiding a great deal of nerves and fear. Tony knew from the young lab tech’s file that he didn’t come from the best background, and Tony could empathize in the position Adam found himself in. On one had he finally had people who loved him and were willing to fight for him, but on the other it was that love and devotion that was putting Danny and Lindsey in danger. It was a hard thing to shoulder, and Tony had no interest in making any of them continue to carry the burden. He said he wanted the Vegas Pack to be about inclusion and love and he meant it.

“Well, here’s the good news. All I care about is how well you do your jobs, and that you love each other.” Tony began with a smile. “Neither I or my Mates will be sticking my nose into your relationship, as long as it remains strong and healthy, and we won’t be letting anyone else do it either. As far as the lab goes, it’s frankly none of their fucking business what the three of you do in your bedroom. All the need to care about is how competent you are. Honestly, my guess is you’ll have Warrick’s loyalty just because it’ll mean he never has to be in charge again.”

When Nick gave a snort of amusement and a “ain’t that the damned truth” Tony paused to give his Sentinel a smile before continuing on with his thought. “For now, Danny will be in charge when I am not around whether that be in the lab or at a scene. Given that the two of you, Danny and Lindsey, are an officially bonded pair, you’ll be sent to scenes together like we do with Nick and Greg. I don’t like splitting up bonded pairs in the field if I can help it. I’m working with the Sheriff and Undersheriff to get some of the positions changed slightly, and of I am able to do so both Danny and Lindsey will be listed as Second in Command. I don’t like the idea of setting a bonded pair up for possible conflict if I can help it, and when I called Mac back earlier today, he vouched that Lindsey was more than capable of sharing a command position with Danny. Adam, I know you don’t go into the field much, but you are field trained. As soon as we can confirm that your field readiness, you’ll be put on the list of techs that have field availability when needed.

“From what I understand from Detective Taylor, their lab ran a little differently than ours in that you did everything. Here we assign specific duties to our techs. Given how well you multitask, and how short staffed our lab is at the moment, I’d like you to take over both the new internet and digital technician position I created as well as the ballistics position. Technically, the latter is usually given to low level Sentinels, but from your NYC file I can see your reviews have always come out as strong as any of the Sentinels they had in the lab. Since I’m not one to deny a job to someone because of their online status, I could give two fucks if you’re a Sentinel or not. So, if you are willing to take both positions then they’re yours.”

“I… We’re hired?” Adam echoed in obvious disbelief, and Tony was glad to see Lindsey take his hand as Danny put an arm around him. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Tony, and he doubted Nick either, that they’d placed Adam in between the two of them. It said a lot to Tony about how scared they were about the situation in New York and Tony promised himself that he’d do everything he could to ensure that shit didn’t happen in Vegas.

“You’re hired,” Tony confirmed with a smile. “As I said right now Danny will be listed in the Second in Command position, but once I get the job titles and slots changed that’ll be expanded to include Lindsey. I doubt you’ll have problems though with the others on the shift until then. Currently, the team is made up completely of Sentinels and Guides. We had a Mundane, but things didn’t work out with her. Normally I wouldn’t talk about details, but I am sure the lab gossips will fill you in. So, I’d rather you heard the truth from me.

“Catherine Willows chose to leave the lab instead of taking the mandatory Sentinel and Guide training classes that she’d previously been given exceptions from. There was some indications that she has at least some issues with Sentinels and Guides that I felt were detrimental to the team. When I tried to get her the classes she needed to overcome the hatred that was being shoved on her by one or possibly both of her parents all she was willing to do was shove back and spew a bunch of nonsense.

“At this point, the only person responsible for our team not having a Mundane CSI is Catherine Willows. If the shift shows it needs another slot and one comes along with the appropriate qualifications and training, I will be thrilled to hire them. I have nothing against Mundanes in the lab as long as they are willing to live up the standards I am setting for all employees, which means that everyone has to take and pass the same Sentinel and Guide classes. That will, by the way, include the three of you.”

Adam nodded and Tony could feel the way the man’s emotions were fluctuating between relief and the fear of hoping. “Thank you,” he finally offered and Tony replied with a nod and a smile.

“Alright then, now that we know you’re on board, I feel like there’s some things you need to know. I’m going to ask that you don’t share this with anyone back East. Mac Taylor probably has an idea, but not a confirmation. In a couple days there will be a press conference and the information I am about to give to you is going to be released. We don’t want anything getting out before that though because of the danger it would cause. So, I need you to keep what you’re about to be told to yourselves and the people you’ll meet here today and this weekend.”

The trio looked at each other holding what looked to be a silent conversation, but eventually Danny promised that they’d keep whatever it was a secret.

“Have any of you heard about Swing SentinelGuides?” Tony asked and immediately Adam’s eyes got big.

“They’re like the unicorn of the Sentinel and Guide Community,” Adam said hurriedly, obviously excited and his earlier nerves forgotten. “You have one here in Vegas?”

“We actually have two here in Vegas,” Nick corrected with a smile, but the seriousness of the situation was obvious in the look in his eyes. “One of them is here in the room with you.”

When Danny and Lindsey’s eyes immediately went to Tony, the Swing just snorted. “I might as well superglue a gold horn to my damn head.”

“Holy shit!” Adam exclaimed excited and Tony couldn’t help but chuckle. For a brief second, he wondered what Adam and Spencer would be like as friends, and hoped that maybe Adam’s presence would lure the Guide out of his room. When Lindsey just put a hand on the Lab Tech’s leg, he stopped bouncing, but his excitement was still clear by the sparkle in his eyes.

“I have so many questions,” Adam offered, but with a look from Danny hurried on, “but I am so gonna hold those for a better time.”

This time Nick was the one who snorted. “If we can get Doc Reid out of his room, I am sure he’ll be happy to answer them all. He’ll probably be thrilled to have someone he can ramble with.”

“Is he not feeling well?” Lindsey asked obviously concerned, “We don’t want to disturb him. Our curiosity can wait.”

“Actually, it would be good for him,” Nick assured with a smile. “He’s actually the Guide of our other Swing. The problem is their Sentinel was killed, and because of the nature of Swings, Aaron had to be put into a coma like state. Otherwise he’d be too overwhelmed without a bonded Sentinel.”

“Wait,” Danny said with his eyes narrowed in what appeared to be concentration. “Dr Reid and Aaron, does this have somethin’ to do with those federal agents murdered in DC about a year ago? I heard about it cause I got a cousin up there that works for the FBI, but he said it was some kind of sniper out to get first responders.”

“Yes,” Tony said solemnly and wondered if Gibbs’ death would ever get to the point where it didn’t hurt like Tony was just skewered by a lance. “They were actually part of a trio with Aaron the Swing SentinelGuide. Their Sentinel was my boss Gibbs and he was killed at the same time. Aaron actually lived, but it was kept quiet because of his status as a Swing. He was moved here to Vegas, and as soon as I find the right doctors he’ll be here on the property with us.”

“Jesus,” Lindsey whispered before turning her gaze toward Tony. “So not only are unicorns real, but someone is going around murdering them?”

Tony snorted and wanted to be mad at the comparison, but since he’d been using it quite freely himself there wasn’t much point. “That about sums it up. So, are you three fine New Yorkers interested in jobs?”

“How soon can we start?” Adam asked and Tony was happy to see the confirmation smiles on Danny and Lindsey’s faces.

“As soon as you’d like,” Tony replied happily, and knew Ecklie would be thrilled the spots were finally getting filled. “Do you need to give notice in New York?”

“Naw,” Danny answered leaning forward looking excited himself. “Mac told us that if we got the jobs no notice was needed. There’s been some pretty serious threats against Adam lately, so he thinks that it’s best we don’t come back for awhile if we don’t have to. It’s why the lab and some of my family are packing up out things.”

“How about then we meet at the lab Monday evening for shift? I’ll be off till then and Warrick can handle things this weekend. We’ll get paperwork done and your weapons issued and such. Welcome to the team. Las Vegas is happy to have you.”

Tony and Nick took the trio to the kitchen to meet everyone who was around. They offered them one of the guest houses to use but found out the threesome were splurging on a nice suite for the weekend and using the time as a sort of mini-vacation. Not blaming them in the least, Tony told them to call if they had any questions and gave them more phone numbers than they probably needed. Once they were gone, Tony felt a sense of accomplishment knowing things were finally taking shape on his team. If everything else followed suit, it would be an amazing weekend.

~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~

**Author's Note:**

> If this story is completed, this post will be deleted without warning


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